Lost and Found
by Halcyon Eve
Summary: Sometimes what has been lost can be found, and sometimes what has been gained can be lost. Set in HM:ANB but with a few characters and locations from HM:SI as well as a very few minor OCs. Updates on Wednesdays. Rated M for later lemon. Please R&R, thanks!
1. Lost

**AN:** I hope you enjoy this little fic! Thanks for reading, and please let me know what you think of it! :)

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><p><strong>Lost<strong>

The dusty road to Echo Village was narrow along this stretch, and heavily lined with bushes and brambles. Most of the time it didn't matter—it was wide enough for the caravan, and they rarely met anyone on the path. But this hot summer morning, as they led the carts and animals towards the village, Neil heard the thunder of hoofbeats galloping up the road behind them, then slowing as the rider reined in his horse, unable to pass. He didn't bother to glance back—they were already going as fast as they could, so there was nothing else to be done until the road widened again. Luckily for the horseman, it wouldn't be much farther.

Finally the tangled growth of brambles and bushes gave way to grass, and he heard the rider urge his horse on to pass them by. Rod called a friendly greeting as horse and rider trotted by, swishing through the tall grass. However, instead of passing Neil, he slowed again, keeping his horse to a walk as he drew up alongside him. Glancing up in annoyance, he first noticed the horse—a rangy black Appaloosa, large black spots splashed over the blanket of snowy white on his hindquarters. The rider was dressed in black, with a brown leather vest and boots and a black cowboy hat. His silver hair was unkempt and his face unshaven, and he mirrored Neil's expression with an amethyst glare of his own.

"Whaddya want?" Neil snapped.

"You an animal dealer?" the cowboy asked.

_Shit, is this guy for real?_ Neil thought to himself. "No, I'm a fucking ballerina."

Ignoring his sarcastic reply, the cowboy nodded his head. "Thought as much. That's my line of work, too."

"Well, la-di-dah. Do you actually want something, or did you just wake up this morning and decide that today you were going to annoy the shit out of a total stranger, and I drew the short straw?"

"I'm looking for someone. A rancher, probably, or farmer. Got any of those around here?"

Neil snorted in disbelief. "What do you think, I sell cattle to rich housewives? Yeah, there's a bunch of them around here, but only one in town."

"Yeah? What's his name?"

"Hers," Neil corrected automatically, then cursed to himself when he saw the small, triumphant smile curling the corners of the man's mouth.

"A woman, huh? Where can I find her?"

Neil paused. He didn't like the idea of sending this guy on to Rio's farm when she was all alone there. Yeah, she had her dogs, but they were _herd_ dogs—not _guard_ dogs. And he didn't know what this fellow wanted with her.

Finally he said, "Give me a few minutes to get into town and get my animals settled, then I can take you there."

The cowboy narrowed his eyes at Neil. "I don't need an escort," he said flatly.

"Maybe not, but you're getting one, whether you like it or not," Neil snapped.

The cowboy hesitated, then shrugged. "Fine. Is there an inn in town?"

"Yeah, just keep on this road straight through town. It's on the far side, just to the north. You'll see it on the bluff, overlooking this road."

"And where will I find _you_?"

"In the plaza, just a little east of the inn. Just follow the sounds of animals."

"Then I'll get a room and meet you there in… how long will it take you to get ready?"

"I'll be finished setting up by 10:00," Neil replied, glancing back to be sure his animals were keeping up as he spoke.

The cowboy urged his horse ahead, calling back, "See ya then."

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><p>Neil glanced at his pocket watch impatiently. He'd moved faster than usual, and had finished setting up with ten minutes to spare before that man was supposed to meet him. He scowled in irritation. Maybe he should have just given him directions. Rio was a big girl, and she could take care of herself. Then he remembered the subtly triumphant look on that man's face, and thought maybe an escort wasn't such a bad idea, after all.<p>

Two minutes before the hour, he heard hoofbeats approaching down the road. Turning, he saw the cowboy riding up the path to the plaza, the horse's iron shoes clattering on the cobblestone. He nodded to Neil and dismounted, then stood waiting impatiently while Neil set out his "Come back later" sign and asked Rod to keep an eye on things for a while. He'd apparently made arrangements for a room, since he'd cleaned himself up—his hair was still damp, his face was clean-shaven, and the trail grime had been washed from his face and dusted from his clothing.

"Won't it be faster if we ride?" he asked Neil as they started back down the same road, him leading his horse by its reins.

Neil shrugged. "Maybe. But I like to let my horse rest and graze after that long haul. Besides, it's not all that far. Why, you in some kind of a hurry or something?"

"What? No! I…. Well, okay, I guess maybe I am, a little. It's not urgent, though. I just want to… to take care of my business as quickly as I can."

Neil glanced sharply at the cowboy, but he was staring ahead, lost in his own private thoughts as they walked through town. Soon they reached the head of the long gravel drive down to Rio's farm, but Neil hesitated before turning down it. "Listen," he began, glaring at the stranger, "I don't know what you want with her, but I'll tell you this—she's well-regarded and beloved by the entire village. So if you mean her any harm…." His voice trailed off, leaving the threat unspoken but unmistakable.

The cowboy looked at him with amused disdain. "Cool it, son. I don't plan to hurt anyone—so far." Then he turned down the drive, and Neil stood and glared after him for a moment before hurrying to catch up to him.

As they approached the barns, Neil heard Rio's voice shouting from somewhere within. "Iroha? Is that you? It sounds like you _finally_ gave in and got that horse I said you should get! I told you that you'd—" Her voice halted midsentence as she rounded the corner and came into full view, stopping dead in her tracks as she caught sight of her visitors, her bright blue eyes opening wide in shock.

"Rio?" the stranger said, his voice slightly strangled with emotion. He took a half-step towards her, then dropped the reins and ran to her, lifting her up in his arms and swinging her around as he embraced her in a bear hug. "Rio! I've been looking everywhere for you! I… I thought I'd never see you again," he cried, burying his face in her neck as Neil stared, openmouthed in astonishment and consternation.

"V-Vaughn?" Rio gasped as soon as he loosened his grip on her enough for her to catch a breath. "W-what… what are _you_ doing _here_? How did you…?"

Neil found his voice then, and strode up, his face flushed with anger. "Rio, who _is_ this guy? And _you_—get your hands off her!"

Vaughn turned to look at Neil, setting Rio down but keeping his arms firmly around her as he stared coldly at the younger man. "And who the hell are _you_ to tell me to keep my hands off my girlfriend?"

"Your _what_?!" Neil shouted, clenching his jaw as he looked from Vaughn to Rio and back again.

"Your _what_?" Rio exclaimed, frowning as she pulled away from him, struggling to free herself from his grasp.

"Rio, please… don't be like that," Vaughn said, pleading her with his eyes as he let her go.

She sighed, rubbing her forehead as if feeling a headache coming on. "Yeah. Okay. I think we need to talk. Both of you, follow me." And she turned and walked towards the house.

Inside, she said, "Just have a seat at the table there. Neil, you know where everything is—can you get something for you guys to drink? I still need to finish my morning's work—I haven't yet put out feed or checked on my hens—I'd just finished milking my cows when you showed up." Turning to Vaughn as she headed for the door, she said, "I'll put your horse out to graze. What's his name? And is he gelded?"

"Oh, uh sure. His name's Flash. Short for Flash Back. And yeah, he's a gelding."

"Good. I'll put him out to graze with my mare then, and leave his tack in the barn. I'll be back soon. Try…." Looking back and forth between the two surly men, she gave up with a sigh. "Oh, never mind. Just don't break anything while I'm gone, all right?" Then she ran out the door, leaving the two men staring face-to-face.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: A New Beginning, and the locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot is my own invention.  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon DS: Sunshine Islands, and the locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and Marvelous Interactive Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.

**Photo Attribution:** The cover image is titled "tango" and is by Mollie Bryan, aka mokedophoto. It may be viewed on the Flickr website, photo ID 2110452168. It is available for public use under the terms of the Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. I have not altered the image in any way, other than any resizing that may have occurred as part of the process of uploading it onto this site.


	2. Questions

**AN:** Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think of it—comments & reviews are _very_ motivating! ;)

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><p><strong>Questions<strong>

Rio hurried through her chores as quickly as she could, not wanting to leave Neil and Vaughn alone in her house any longer than necessary. She hurriedly pulled off Flash's saddle and bridle and stowed them in the barn, gave him a quick brushing and wipe-down, then turned him out with her cows and her grey mare, Sahara, to graze. Then she returned to the barn, grabbed an armload of hay, and tossed it into the manger before moving on to her spacious coop. The hens were already outside, scratching around, so she tossed some more corn into their feeder and gathered the eggs from the nesting boxes.

When she walked through her front door, she found Neil in the kitchen, leaning back against her refrigerator and glaring at Vaughn, who stood leaning against the far side of the kitchen counter. She noticed neither of them had any refreshments, and she had a definite sense of walking into the middle of a stare-down. Ignoring them, she walked into the kitchen, nudging Neil out of the way so she could unload the day's milk & eggs, along with the herbs, peaches, and mangos she'd kept from the morning's harvest—the first fruits of summer. In silence, she turned around to look at the two men, who had ceased glaring at each other and instead watched her every move.

Sighing, she opened the refrigerator door again. "Iced tea?" she offered, pulling a tall glass pitcher out.

"Sure, thanks," Neil replied, his gaze still fixed on her.

"Yeah, okay," Vaughn likewise accepted, glancing with a scowl at Neil before turning to watch Rio again.

She began to feel ill at ease from the sheer intensity of their stares. Looking at the clock as she poured glasses of tea, she saw it was midday already. So she made some sandwiches, too, and sliced up some of the fresh fruit, then carried it all to the table.

Waving the two men to opposite seats at the table, she sat down and took a long drink of the cold tea. Then she looked at the men and said, "Well. I'm going to assume from the stony silence when I walked through the door that you haven't introduced yourselves yet. So… Neil, this is Vaughn. We used to… ah, well, 'date,' I guess you could call it."

"Is that _all_ you'd call it? Just… dating?" Vaughn interrupted with a scowl. "I thought it was more than that—I thought _I_ meant more than that."

"Hold your horses, cowboy. First things first. Vaughn, this is my boyfriend, Neil."

The two men stared at each other, the glares intensifying along with the charged atmosphere. Before either of them could erupt, though, she continued.

"So why are you _here_, Vaughn?"

He scowled at her, angry, annoyed, frustrated—but also baffled why she'd ask such an obvious question. "To find you, of course. You just… disappeared. I left on the early boat that Wednesday, same as usual, and when I arrived the following Monday… you were gone. No one knew where, or why. Just that you'd sold your farm and everything to Mark and left. The only message you left was that scribbled note you gave to Mirabelle. And that was cryptic enough—but I think I figured it out, eventually." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a battered leather wallet. He opened it and slipped a well-worn scrap of paper out. He set the paper on the table and unfolded it. "You wrote, 'Her name is Rio, she don't need to understand,' then below that, you wrote, 'I'll take my chance, 'cause luck is on my side.'" Looking at her as he put the paper away, he said, "I finally figured out that those were quotes—song lyrics, actually. From a few decades ago. And at the end of the song, the singer says he might be able to find the girl if he looks hard enough. So… that's what I set out to do. Look for you until I found you. I want to know why—why you left me like that. I want you to look me in the eyes and explain it to me."

Neil leaned back in his chair, looking from one to the other of them. He admitted to himself that he wanted to hear what she had to say, too—though he was sure there was more to it than this Vaughn guy implied.

Rio sat and just… _looked_ at Vaughn for some time. Finally, she said, "You really don't have _any_ idea _at all_? Isn't there something—_anything_—weighing heavy on your conscience? Something that maybe might have driven me away?"

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about," he said, flushing slightly under her steady gaze.

"Mmm-hmmm. Well, I'll tell you. That last Wednesday when you left, I ran after you, trying to catch you before the boat left. I got there just as it pulled away from the dock, leaving a few day-trippers behind. As I stood watching it sail off for the mainland, I suddenly caught part of a conversation among a small group of young women standing on the beach nearby. One of them was asking who that silver haired guy with the cowboy hat that her friend had waved to was, and the friend replied that he was someone she'd met a couple of weeks ago at a bar. Then she giggled and started to detail a… rather intimate encounter with him. I felt sick, listening to them, but I walked over and faked a smile. I said that the person they were talking about sounded familiar, and asked what his name was. Imagine my feelings when she gave _your_ name! I somehow managed to smile again, said that yes, that was the same guy, and left.

"That was the last straw for me, Vaughn. I couldn't take it anymore. So I went to Mark and asked if he'd like to take over the farm. I didn't sell it to him, by the way. I let him have the use of it, on the condition that he also take over restoring Sunny Island. I said that after he completed that task, I'd sign over the deed to him. But until then, it's still mine in name.

"Anyway, he was thrilled, though he was surprised and sad that I was leaving, especially on such short notice. But I had to—I had to get out of there, get away…. I went to Taro and made the necessary arrangements, then I packed a few things in my backpack and went around to say goodbye to everyone.

"Mirabelle was distraught, I think partly on your account. I didn't tell her anything about why I was leaving, just that I needed to leave right away. She asked if I wanted to at least leave you a message, but when I gave it to her, she looked confused and asked me to write it down for her, so you'd be sure to get the right message.

"Then I boarded the night boat and left the Sunshine Islands for good."

Vaughn stared at her, ignoring Neil's infuriated glare. "I… I… You mean, you just left, because you thought some trampy blonde might have slept with me? You didn't even wait to ask me about it—you just… vanished!"

Rio sipped her tea slowly, looking at him with narrowed eyes over the top of her glass. "There's more to it than that. And as for 'thinking' you 'might have' cheated on me… I didn't tell you she was a blonde. I think you've pretty much just confirmed it."

Vaughn turned red as his slip-up sunk in. Then he looked at her, with less hostility, and said, "All right, fine. It's true that I slept with her. I'm sorry for upsetting you like that—I never imagined you'd find out. But first, I wasn't _really_ 'cheating' on you, you know. And second, it's… well, it's partly your fault, anyway."

Rio slammed her glass down, her face white with anger. "In what way was that _not_ cheating on me? And are you seriously sitting here telling me that it's _my_ fault you cheated on me?"

"_Partly_ your fault," he corrected her, then seeing the livid expression on her face, he hurried on. "You see, we weren't really in any kind of _formal_ relationship. Yeah, I thought of you as my girlfriend, but since we'd never come right out and _said_ anything about being exclusive…."

"You _prick_!" Rio yelled, "Not any kind of formal relationship? You practically _lived_ with me!"

"Only two days a week, though…." Vaughn's voice faded as he saw the look in her eyes.

"I provided you with food, a warm bed, and… and all the sex you wanted, whenever you wanted it! And you tell me that we weren't in a relationship? That you _really_ thought it was perfectly fine to have it off with other girls? And just how is that supposed to be _my_ fault, anyway?"

"It's just that I… I missed you so damn much when I was away. I couldn't stand it. I tried to resist, because I didn't want to hurt you. But you never left the islands, and it just got to be too much—the need for you was more than I could take. It was getting so that by Monday, I was ready to grab you and throw you down wherever I happened to find you, because I couldn't wait another moment. I didn't like feeling that way, didn't want to take out my frustration on you because I _cared_ about you. So…."

"So you somehow thought that having sex with random women would be _better_ than having sex with me?" Rio asked, incredulously.

"I know, when you put it like that… but I guess it just got to be too hard to resist other women when I was away from you all week. Sorry, Rio. I honestly didn't think you'd ever find out, and that it would just be a harmless secret. I should have known when I saw that girl…."

"Well, I'm _glad_ I ran into her. I was at the end of my rope, and that gave me the push I needed to finally just cut my losses and _go_."

"I still don't understand… if it wasn't just because of that girl, then….?"

"It's like I told you, Vaughn. You came to me every Monday morning, and left again every Wednesday morning—very early, and without even saying goodbye. You got free room and board and plenty of sex. _You_ might have been happy with that arrangement, but _I_ sure as hell wasn't. I wanted _more_ from you—I wanted you to stay, to be with me and not go running off, to be a part of my life. I didn't want to be your part-time lover, I wanted some commitment from you. And you didn't have any interest in that. As long as things were good for _you_, you didn't want to change anything. And then…."

Vaughn had just sat there, wide-eyed and slack-jawed in astonishment as he listened to Rio's tirade. When she hesitated, he shook his head a little, as if to clear it, then prompted her. "Yeah? And then?"

Lifting her head a little higher, she stared into his eyes. "And then I found out I was pregnant."

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: A New Beginning, and the locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot is my own invention.

**Disclaimer:** Harvest Moon DS: Sunshine Islands, and the locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and Marvelous Interactive Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	3. Answers

**AN:** The song referred to in this and the previous chapter is "Rio" by Duran Duran. There are also various other, more subtle references to their music here and there throughout this fic. Thank you for reading! I hope you're enjoying the story so far—I'd love to hear what you think of it! Reviews are extremely motivating! ;)

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><p><strong>Answers<strong>

"You _what_?" Neil shouted, jumping to his feet, shocked by Rio's announcement.

"Wh-wh-_what_ did you say?" Vaughn stammered, his face draining to white. He scrambled up and back from the table, getting tangled up in his chair and falling to the floor in the process. Sitting in a jumbled heap, he stared up at her, stunned and speechless.

"The morning you left," she resumed, looking calmly down at Vaughn, "I took a test. I was late, you see, but I wasn't _sure_—so I hadn't said anything to you. I didn't want to upset you with a false alarm. When the test came up positive, I took off and ran for the boat, trying to get there in time to catch you… but I just missed you.

Neil sat back down again, watching Rio with a peculiar expression. He wasn't sure how he felt about this new revelation—and he wondered why she hadn't said anything to him. He didn't have much experience with women and relationships, but wasn't having a kid the sort of thing you'd mention to your boyfriend? Still, he'd give her a chance to finish telling her story. He wanted to be fair, to not rush to the wrong conclusion. He _was_ sure that she was a good person, so she must have had her reasons.

Meanwhile, Vaughn extricated himself from the chair, righted it, and once again sat down. He was shaking slightly as he reached for his iced tea, and from the look on his face, he was almost certainly wishing he had something a lot more potent in his glass right then.

Rio picked up a half of her sandwich from her plate. She didn't take a bite, though, just picked a little at it, tearing off little bits of lettuce that stuck out, poking tomato slices back in, breaking off a tiny crumb of cheese. She set it back down on the plate and just sat silently, her hands on her lap, staring blankly at the table.

After a few minutes, Vaughn coughed slightly, then asked, "Well, then, what happened after that? You, uh, you found out you were pregnant, discovered I'd been messing around, fixed to hand your property over to Mark, said your goodbyes to everyone else, packed up, and left. What then? Where did you go? What… what happened to the, uh… to our baby?"

She didn't answer right away, just speared a chunk of peach with her fork and popped it into her mouth, slowly chewing as she stared at nothing with a far-away look in her eyes. Then she snapped back to the present.

"I had some money saved, you know. Before I left, I bought a bunch of feed to leave for Mark, since I knew he wouldn't be able to afford much for a while—not until the crops were ready to harvest, anyway—and I wanted to be sure he'd be able to care for the animals in the meantime. But even then, I had enough to live on for a while. So when I got off the boat there on the mainland, I just went to the inn across the street from the dock. I decided to stay there until the baby was born, then decide what to do next."

Vaughn gaped at her. "You mean… all that time, you were right there within sight of the boat?"

Rio gave him a wry look. "Yep. I saw you several times, coming and going, you know. So I _know_ you didn't set off looking for me right away. And if you'd just looked up, instead of staring at the ground like you usually do, you might even have caught a glimpse of me at my window."

"I didn't look for you right away because I didn't know _where_ to look!" he exclaimed, defensively. "It took me a while to figure out your note. I guessed it was a quote, but I didn't recognize it. Not my kind of music, I guess. But wherever I went, I'd show it to people, asking if they knew where it came from. Finally, almost a year after you'd left, I ran into someone on the mainland who recognized it. She was even able to tell me the rest of the lyrics. But there was no real hint where you might have gone, even then. So that's when I decided I had to just knuckle down and start looking, hoping I'd catch up to you one day."

"I see. Yes, it was one of my mother's favorite songs when she was young—that's where she got my name. So it's kind of nostalgic for me on that account. Anyway, it happened that shortly before the baby was born, I saw an ad in one of those little community newsletter-type things that another guest had left behind in the breakfast room, looking for someone to take over an old farm in the mountains. I decided that sounded like a good place to go, but I was worried about trying to manage the work of starting all over from scratch on a farm with a new baby.

"Then in mid-winter, the baby was born—a little girl, perfectly healthy, weighing a little over seven pounds. But while I was waiting to be admitted, still in the early stages of labor, I overheard a couple talking nearby. She'd just miscarried, apparently not for the first time, and they were just beside themselves. They were discussing all the trouble they'd had trying to have a baby, and how they wished that more babies were available to be adopted locally. They just wanted a child so _badly_.

"That started me thinking. I couldn't be sure of giving my baby a good home—I didn't even _have_ a home right then, or even the prospect of a home. All I had to offer was love… but someone else might be able to offer love _and_ a good, stable home. So I talked to the nurse and asked about giving the baby up for adoption. She brought in a social worker, and we talked for a long while. Then I signed some papers, and three days after she was born, I... let her go. It hadn't taken any time at all to find an adoptive family—and by some weird coincidence, it was that same couple who'd lost their baby shortly before mine was born. I was able to meet them, and they write to me once a year to let me know how she's growing. They're good people, and she's doing well—she's… _happy_. She's two and a half years old now. Hold on, I have a picture somewhere."

Rio stood and walked over to the sideboard next to the front door. Opening a drawer, she dug through a collection of papers, envelopes, photographs, and assorted bits and bobs. She pulled out an envelope, and after glancing through its contents, she returned to the table and sat back down. "Here, you can take a look," she said, removing a few photographs and setting them before Vaughn. He sat for a moment, hesitating, then lifted the top photograph to look at it.

"That was right after she was born," Rio explained. "She had so much thick, black baby hair, and the nurses just couldn't tame it for anything." She smiled faintly, watching her former lover as he stared at the picture. Then, wordlessly, he set it down and picked up the next photo.

Rio picked up the first picture and offered it to Neil, a little hesitantly, uncertain how he was handling the day's revelations. But he picked up the proffered snapshot and stared at it, almost as intently as Vaughn had.

Turning back to Vaughn, she said, "That's her on her first birthday. I guess all that hair she was born with eventually fell out and was replaced with her normal hair."

"She looks a lot like you," Vaughn commented as he drank in every detail of the photo, depicting a lively, dark-haired toddler, grinning toothily for the camera with a huge pink-frosted cupcake on a plate before her, a smiling woman holding her chubby little hand away from the single candle stuck in the top.

Rio nodded as he passed the picture back to her, then she passed it on to Neil as she said, "She has my hair and complexion, but she inherited _your_ eyes. I think you can see better in that next picture."

Vaughn picked it up, and she said, "That's from her second birthday, just last winter. Her parents send me a photograph of her taken on her birthday when they write."

As she had said, he could see her eyes more clearly here, and he stared at the dainty little girl with Rio's sunny smile, dark brown hair, and bronzed skin. But instead of her cornflower blue eyes, the eyes that stared up at him from the photograph were his own amethystine orbs. Rattled, he handed the picture back to Rio.

Rio put the photographs away once they had finished looking at them, then returned to her seat. She sipped her tea, looking first at Vaughn, then at Neil. The room was silent, uncomfortably so. Finally, Vaughn looked up at her, bleary-eyed. "What, uh… what's her name?"

"They named her Violet, because of her purple eyes."

"Violet…." he repeated in a soft voice, looking down at his hands as they gripped his glass. Then he looked back at her, saying, "I… I really don't know what to say, Rio."

She stood up quickly, then, and took her dishes to the kitchen, her lunch still virtually untouched. "There's not a lot _to_ say, Vaughn. You blew it, I left, and I started over here—new home, new job, new friends, and a new love. A whole new life," she replied, a note of bitterness in her voice, as she leaned against the sink and looked at him.

Vaughn shook his head, then he stood and walked over to her. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he said, "I'm not ready to give up on you. I've spent more than two years searching for you. After you left, I realized… you mean more to me than _anything_. I was an idiot for not seeing it before, for not giving our relationship—for not giving _you_—the respect and consideration you deserved."

Sighing and rubbing her head again, she said in a tired voice, "Vaughn… you know, two years is a long time to spend looking for me just to ask me why I left, when it should be obvious that I didn't _want_ you to find me. I'd have written to you if I did. So why are you here, _really_?"

Without any warning, Vaughn scooped her off her feet, cradling her snugly against his chest as she stared, stunned, up at him. As Neil exploded in anger behind him, he leaned down to her and said, in a low, hoarse voice, "I came for more than just an answer to a question, Rio. I came for _you_—to bring you back home, where you belong."

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: A New Beginning, and the locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot is my own invention.

**Disclaimer:** Harvest Moon DS: Sunshine Islands, and the locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and Marvelous Interactive Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	4. Jealousy

**AN:** Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think-I love to hear from readers!

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><p><strong>Jealousy<strong>

Neil paced angrily behind his stall, glaring so fiercely that only the hardiest of souls dared approach him that day, and both his business and Rod's suffered as a result. Finally, fed up with his agitation, especially since it was beginning to affect their animals, too, Rod exclaimed "Hey, just cool it, will ya, Neil? So your girlfriend's ex showed up and wants her back. Doesn't mean she wants to go, does it? I mean, she _seems_ pretty happy with you. So why get so worked up about it?"

"Fuck off," Neil snapped, pausing in his circuit to glare at him.

"Yeah, okay, whatever. But you're upsetting the animals, so just knock it off, okay? You might not care about people, but I _know_ you care about animals."

Rod was right, of course, and Neil did at least _try_. But even if he could force himself to stand still, he couldn't ease the tension that stiffened his spine and tautened his muscles. He found himself thinking back to when he first laid eyes on Rio, a week or so after she arrived in Echo Village. He had thought at the time that she was too damned beautiful to possibly be any good at the hard work required on a farm, let alone one that was so run down and in such dire need of renovation—just like the rest of the town. But to his complete surprise, she was competent and determined, and before he realized what was happening, she'd not only fixed up both her farm _and_ the town, but she'd won his heart, too.

He flushed a little, remembering their first kiss. They'd taken a picnic lunch up to the lake near the mountain peak, and he'd finally come out and admitted his feelings for her. He'd never been so surprised as when he discovered that she reciprocated. And then she'd kissed him—a kiss like honey, sticky-sweet and delicious.

Snorting with agitation, he looked at his pocket watch again—only two minutes had passed since he'd last checked. He glanced in the direction of her farm, clear across the village and down the hill, by the river. He couldn't see it, of course, not from where he was. But he couldn't stop thinking about her—and about this Vaughn guy that had appeared out of _nowhere_, saying they'd been lovers and that he wanted her back. Lovers! That's more than he…. And they'd even had a kid together!

He shook his head, still feeling that it was all so… _unreal_. He hadn't understood at first why she had never said anything to him, but after Vaughn left, she explained it to him, how it had been so painful to her, she hadn't wanted to talk about it with anyone—not even him—and also that she was afraid that, in such a small town, she'd have been judged for it. _He_ wouldn't have held it against her… at least, he didn't _think_ he would. But he could understand her fears, especially when she was new in town.

"Neil? Hey, _Neil_! Wake _up_!" Rod was shouting from his stall. Neil started and looked around. A bewildered tourist was standing at his counter, trying to get his attention.

"Huh? Oh. Yeah, sorry. Neil's Animals. Whaddya want?" he muttered, gruffly.

Flustered, the young woman stammered, "Oh, I-I… I wondered if you had any baby chicks for sale?"

"Yeah, I guess. But aren't you a tourist? Why do you want a _chicken_?" he asked her, suspiciously.

"I-I… well, they're just so _cute_! All fluffy and yellow and sweet. So I thought it would be an adorable present for my little sister—you know, kind of a souvenir."

Neil scowled. "Listen, lady, chickens are _not_ toys. They have hearts and minds, same as any animal—which is a lot more than I can say for some _people_. You want a toy, go find a toy store. I'm not selling you a chick just to have you dump it by the side of the road somewhere when it gets too big or noisy or ugly for your _taste_."

Startled, the girl stepped back, tears welling in her eyes. Then she turned and fled, Neil glaring after her broodingly.

With a sigh, Rod looked up at the sky. From the sun, he'd guess there was around another two hours until closing time, maybe more. He looked over at Neil again, and called out, "Hey, let's just pack it in early. You're only scaring people off, anyway—from my business as well as yours."

Neil slammed his hand down on the counter, but only said, "Whatever." Then he started packing his cart to leave, and Rod followed suit. Soon the two men were leading their caravan back along the hot, dusty trail out of the village.

* * *

><p>"You came here for <em>wha<em>—" Rio began to exclaim, outraged, struggling against Vaughn's firm hold on her, her legs kicking empty air as she pushed against his chest. But he'd cut her words short with a passionately intense kiss, breathing hard as he crushed greedy lips to hers, caressing her mouth hungrily with his tongue.

Then she bit him.

He dropped her, clapping his hands to his mouth and doubling over in pain as a muffled stream of expletives poured out. Neil reached them just in time to catch her—not elegantly, but well enough to keep her from landing in a heap on the floor. She glared at Vaughn, and Neil was quivering with barely-suppressed rage.

"'at da _hay_?" Vaughn exclaimed, prodding his tongue with his fingertips and scowling first at the red smudge of blood on them, then at Rio.

"That's _my_ line," she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest as she continued glaring.

"Yeah, well, _I'm_ not gonna mince words," Neil growled. "What the _fuck_ do you think you're doing to _my_ _girlfriend_?" Pushing past Rio as he spoke, he grabbed Vaughn by his shirt.

Vaughn glared disdainfully down at the younger man and grabbed his wrist, prying his hand from his shirt. "Hands off, kid," he drawled, looking at him through narrowed eyes. "Come back in five years or so, when you've grown up some."

Neil hauled off to deck him—but Rio stepped between the two men. "Knock it off, _both_ of you! Absolutely _no_ fighting in my house! If you can't be civil for _ten goddessdam minutes_, then get out!" The two backed down—at least, a _little_ bit—and she glared from one to the other of them, her hands on her hips as she frowned in aggravation. "Look, I have _work_ to do, and Neil, you do, too. Vaughn, if you have anything more you want to say to me, it's going to have to wait. You might as well go get yourself a room at the inn. It's getting to be a little late for you to start back today anyway, so you'd better plan to stay overnight. Or longer, most likely—the Critter Festival is in just a couple days, and I'm going to be too busy getting ready for that and participating in it to have much time to spare."

"Longer than just tonight, huh? Sorry, Rio. No can do. Wish I could," Vaughn said, flatly.

"Can't? Or _won't_?" Rio said, sharply. "I'm not going to force you to stay, Vaughn, far from it. But I just won't have time to spare for you for several days. Summer is just too damn busy."

"Can't," he replied levelly. "I quit my job when I left to find you, and since then I've only worked a few odd jobs here and there, whenever my money started to run out. And it's run out again. I already paid for a room at the inn for tonight, but that used up the last of my funds. I'll have to find some work tomorrow, or else I'll be sleeping under the stars and living on wild berries."

Rio sighed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, for Goddess's sake, Vaughn. _Fine_. You can work for me. I've been overworked lately, anyway, with just too much to do and not enough time to do it. I'll hire you to take care of my animals, since I know you're good at that, and we'll take it from there. I know you're handy at one or two things besides animals, at least when you _want_ to be. I'll pay for your room tonight, then I'll pay you enough to cover your room and board with a little left over. Okay?"

He moved in a little closer, put his hands around her waist, and said in a low voice, "Or I _could_ just stay here with _you_. You wouldn't even need to pay me for helping around the farm, then."

Neil lunged for him again, but Rio stopped him and pushed Vaughn back. "_Forget_ it. I've already told you, it's over between us. Just be grateful that I'm taking pity on you." Then she walked over to the door and opened it, looking back at the men in her kitchen. "Get a move on, Vaughn. Tell Hossan I'll be along later to settle up with him, and he'll refund your money. The food at the inn's good, or there's Clement's restaurant down the road. That might be a bit trendy for your taste, though."

With a sigh, Vaughn picked up his hat from the sideboard where he'd set it. "All right, we'll just leave it at that—for now. When do you want me to start?"

"Come back first thing in the morning—the earlier, the better. If I'm not in the house, I'll be in the fields or one of the barns. Just keep looking 'til you find me. Oh, and you might have noticed there's no stable at the inn. You can keep Flash here—there's room in my barn, and plenty of good grass in the pasture."

"Sure." He pulled the hat on, tugging it low over his brow as he sauntered out the door. He paused on the doorstep, then looked back. "Hey. Thanks. And I'm, uh… I'm sorry. For… everything." Then he turned and sauntered off, vanishing from sight as he moseyed up the long, shady drive back to the village.

"What the _hell_, Rio? What are you _thinking_, giving that guy a job working for you, here on the farm? Why didn't you just send him packing?" Neil fumed, scowling as he turned to stare at her once Vaughn was out of sight.

She looked at him, her expression calm, though her brilliant blue eyes had turned stormy. "Last I checked, Neil," she said, coolly, "my hard-earned money was _mine_ to do with as I please. I can't just turn my back on him, you know. Even if he _hadn't_ been an important part of my life once upon a time, I'd _still_ help him now. I can't just turn my back on someone in need. What I did was no more than I'd do for anyone else in the same position, and you know that. I could have just given him some money, of course, but he's too proud to take it—and I really _could_ use the help. You, of all people, should know how busy I've been lately."

"Yeah, well, that may be true, but I still don't like the idea of him hanging around you all the time. Especially when you'll be all alone with him here, and…." Neil blushed and looked at the floor.

Rio grinned and sidled up to him, reaching up to put her arms around his neck. "Just admit it, why don't you? You're jealous!"

Turning beet-red, Neil scowled. "N-no way! I am _not_ jealous!"

"Mmm-hmmm," she said, tracing along his jaw line with a slender fingertip, stopping to lightly caress his lips before she stood up on her toes to kiss him.

As he felt himself melting at her touch, he thought—just to himself, of course—that maybe he _was_ just a _little_ bit jealous. Just a little.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: A New Beginning, and the locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot is my own invention.

**Disclaimer:** Harvest Moon DS: Sunshine Islands, and the locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and Marvelous Interactive Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	5. Wishes

**AN:** I've been targeted by an anti-lemon crusader, so I'm in the process of moving to Archive of Our Own. I plan to keep posting here, at least for now, as I don't really think I'm posting anything more explicit than an R movie (the equivalent rating to an M fic). But if any of my stories vanish, that's why. **My username at AO3 is HalcyonEve**, so you can look for me there if you like. Thanks for reading, please let me know what you think of the story! :)

* * *

><p><strong>Wishes<strong>

Eager to get to work—or rather, eager to see Rio again—Vaughn showed up at a little after 5:00 the next morning. He knocked lightly, then again more firmly when there was no response. He heard a thud and a crash and muffled swearing, followed by footsteps approaching as she called out, "Who _is_ it? What's going on? Is someone _dying_?"

Then the door opened, and there she stood, knotting the tie of a clingy silk robe. She looked just like he remembered her: tall, tan, slim waist between full breasts and hips, those long, lean legs, thick brown-black hair with streaks of gold where the sun had kissed it… and the bluest eyes he'd ever seen, glaring at him. "Oh, it's _you_. So no one's dying—_yet_." She opened the door a little wider as she stifled a yawn. "Look, Vaughn… I know I said _early_, but don't get carried away."

Her last phrase, "carried away," echoed in his head as he walked through the doorway, and he thought to himself, as he glanced over at her disheveled bed, getting carried away was _exactly_ what he'd like to do with her. Pulling himself together, he felt relieved that at least she seemed to have slept alone—there was no sign of that Neil kid.

Oblivious to his thoughts, Rio stumbled into the kitchen and switched on the coffeemaker. She turned to the refrigerator and opened the door. "Well, since you're here, have you eaten yet?"

"No. No one was around when I left." He stared at her, unable to keep his eyes from her. _Goddess_, he'd missed her, and in so many ways—but right at that moment, one outweighed all the others, and it was a struggle for him to focus on anything but the tantalizing glimpses of her bronzed skin that taunted him as it peeked out from beneath her robe. She'd always slept in the nude when they'd been together—and it looked as though that hadn't changed.

She pulled out eggs, mushrooms, cheese, milk, and a pitcher of juice and set about making a mushroom omelet. After pouring the egg mixture into the pan, she grabbed a loaf of sliced bread and started some toast, then poured two mugs of strong, black coffee. In a very short time, they were sitting down to breakfast.

"Thanks," Vaughn muttered. "Smells good. I miss your porridge, though. No one makes it as good as you do."

"I haven't made that since I left the Islands," she replied over her coffee mug. "I can't stand the stuff."

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Yeah? I never knew that. You always seemed to eat it fine."

"I only made it when you were there, and I only got it down by not thinking about it. That's why I was usually so talkative at breakfast—I was distracting myself from what I was eating."

"Huh. Why bother to eat it then?" he asked, confused.

"Because _you_ loved it. And because, bland as it is, at least it's nutritious and filling. It didn't _kill_ me to eat it, I just don't _like_ it," she replied with a little shrug, then she turned her attention back to her food, ending the conversation.

After breakfast, he eyed her uncertainly. "I could, uh, I could clean up," he suggested, a little hopefully, wanting to linger in her company as long as he could. _Especially_ with her wearing only that robe.

"Vaughn… I need to get dressed," she said, looking exasperated.

_Damn_, he thought to himself. "Then, uh…."

"Why don't you go check on your horse? I'll only be a few minutes," she said, pushing him towards the door.

"Yeah. Sure," he grumbled as he stomped off towards the barn.

By the time she joined him in the barn, he'd finished currycombing his horse and had started on hers. She strolled over and watched him for a moment, leaning against the side of the stall. She'd brought two mugs of coffee with her, and she balanced one on top of the stall near him before taking a sip from the other. "Thanks. You're doing great, as always. I can see she's taken a liking to you already—you have gentle hands."

He just grunted in reply, focused on his task. After a moment, he glanced over at her. He swallowed hard when at first all he saw was leg, leg, and more leg. Since the day was already hot even though it was still early, she'd put on short shorts with her scuffed up cowboy boots, and he swore she wore nothing under her snug tank top. "So, uh, what's her name?" he asked, quickly looking away again.

"I just call her Sahara—short for Sahara Snow."

"Arabian, isn't she? Purebred?" he asked as he gave a final swipe to her coat.

"Three-quarters. If you're done, then I'll show you what I want you to do."

He nodded and put the grooming tools away, grabbed his mug of coffee, then stood expectantly, waiting for instructions as he gulped the hot drink.

She turned and gestured him to follow. "I have two barns and a chicken coop, plus fish tanks and pets. My pets will herd my livestock and chickens, so you don't need to worry about moving them outside or back in at night. What I need you to do is to groom my animals, clip them when needed, milk the cows and my yak each morning, gather eggs, make sure the mangers and feeders are kept full, and keep tabs on their health and well-being in general. This is my cow barn; as you can see, I have three Holsteins, two Jerseys, and the yak, as well as my horse—and yours, now. Sometimes Neil keeps his horse here over the weekend, too."

Next she pointed towards a sort of shelf with a couple of books on it not far from the door. "There's a book over there where I keep my records for each animal; if you notice anything wrong or otherwise noteworthy with one them, please make note of it there. If they get sick, you can get medicine from Neil. Keep in mind he's only open for business Monday through Thursday, and he's also closed on rainy days or for festivals. So if his stall's not open, I do keep some medicine in the house for emergencies. If you use one, be sure you get a replacement from Neil the next time he's open for business, and let me know so I can pay him for it later."

She led him back to a pen at the back of the barn, where one of her Jersey cows was resting. "Rosie here is pregnant, so you only need to be sure she has food and water. Neil checks in on her almost daily and will see to her when her time comes, so you don't have to worry about any of that. The hay is kept over there," she said, pointing to a large rack in the far corner. "You'll need to keep an eye on the amount of hay, and refill it when it starts to run low."

She led him out of the barn and into a smaller, adjacent structure. "This is the coop," she said, turning briefly to him. "I have both Leghorns and Silkies, as you can see. The nesting boxes are over there, and that's where the feed is kept," she said, pointing them out as she spoke.

Next she took him to the pet house. Both her dogs jumped up, tails wagging, when she opened the door, but the grey cat merely opened one eye halfway before snuggling back down and flipping the tip of his tail over his nose. "The dogs herd the livestock. The black and white one is Bandit—he's my shepherd. And the brown and white dog is my cattle dog, Kep. The cat's name is Ash. Rod trained him to herd my chickens, just like the dogs herd my livestock."

Vaughn raised an eyebrow. "He trained a _cat_? To do _that_? He must be something else with animals."

Rio laughed, a musical laugh that set his heart pounding. "Yeah, he's pretty amazing. Only with cats, dogs, and horses, though—he doesn't know that much about other animals. Neil, on the other hand, loves _all_ animals, and he has a real knack with them—even the wild animals in the forest."

Vaughn scowled as she praised Neil, but Rio was kneeling down to scratch Bandit's ears and didn't notice. "Well," she said a moment later as she stood up again, "that's it for this section of the farm."

"Didn't you say something about sheep?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I'll take you over there now. They're kept on a different part of the farm. The alpacas in particular tend to be nervous around strangers, so I keep them in a more secluded area, where they're less likely to be disturbed." She headed out the door and turned west, following a path that led them through a gap in the rocky ridge along the edge of her farm.

As they walked along the path, she glanced at him for a moment. "So, uh… how were things going with Mark on the old ranch last you were there? Was he… was he doing well? How were the animals?"

Vaughn snorted. "You're only just _now_ wondering how your animals did after you left them?"

"No," Rio said, defensively, scowling as she stared straight ahead, "I've often wondered. But I admit it wasn't the very first thing that popped into my head when you turned up unexpectedly yesterday. I've always felt sure that Mark would be fine. He was kinda green, but then… so was I, when I first arrived on those islands. I wasn't even quite eighteen, if you remember, and I had no experience at all—just interest and drive."

"Yeah, I admit, you surprised me. Surprised everyone, I think. You always were a hard worker, and looks like that hasn't changed. Hossan was telling me last night all about the work you've put in, both on the town and with your farm. I gotta say, Rio, I'm impressed—even knowing you as well as I do."

"Don't be," she said, harshly. "Work makes a great distraction, that's all. If you keep yourself busy enough, you don't have _time_ for thoughts or memories or regrets."

He didn't have a response for that, so they walked in silence for a minute. Then he cleared his throat and said, "Mark was doing great, last I was there. Of course, that was a couple years ago. But I don't think he was likely to have any real problems—no more than any farmer does, anyway. He was taking good care of the animals and the farm. Not as good as you, but still—no complaints here, anyway. And believe me, I was looking for an excuse to complain. I think your animals missed you, though—'specially Tanner. Poor ol' pup, I'd see him lying by the bridge to the main island, just waiting and waiting… and sometimes at night, I could hear him howling. Saddest thing I ever heard. Last time I was there, though, he was finally warming up to Mark. He really worked hard to earn your animals' affections. I think he could see they missed you, too."

Rio didn't say anything, just trudged ahead, deep in thought as they walked. Then they came out of the small gulch that divided that main farm from the west farm. Vaughn saw another fenced pasture and barn, and several smaller buildings built in the shade of the constantly-encroaching forest south of the pasture.

He followed her into the barn, where he saw several sheep, a couple of alpacas, and even a llama. As the animals crowded around them, she explained, "My farm is divided into three sections: the central or main farm, then the east and west farms. The east farm is where my crops, orchard, mushroom logs, and beehives are located. Here on the west farm, I have a pair of Dorset and four Suffolk sheep, two alpacas, and a llama. The alpacas are skittish, like I said. They're only like that with strangers, though, so once they get used to you, they'll calm down."

They stepped back outside, and she walked over to one of the four identical outbuildings. "These are the sheds that house my fish tanks, where I raise different kinds of fish and crustaceans. You'll need to feed them each day, check the water quality, and keep track of them as they multiply. Right now, I have tanks with salmon, octopus, tiger prawns, and clams. Each species has slightly different requirements, but I keep the information posted near each tank for reference, so you shouldn't have any difficulties. I keep the fish food in the house, so you'll have to pick that up each morning on your way over here. I'll show you where to find it."

She stepped out of the last of the four small sheds and leaned against the pasture fence, swallowing the lukewarm dregs of her coffee as she idly watched her shepherd herding her sheep and alpacas and llama out to pasture, barking and running around to move them in the direction he wanted them to go. He was well-trained, Vaughn thought as he, too, watched. Then he glanced over at Rio and swallowed hard at the sight.

The sun was just rising over the tops of the tall evergreens east of the farm, and the clear, pale light of the early summer morning bathed Rio in a dazzling radiance. Her skin—always tan even in winter—had deepened to a rich bronze, and the sunlight brought out the summertime highlights of gold in her dark hair. Her eyes were a clear, bright violet-blue, just the color of the cornflowers that he remembered from his mother's garden many years ago. 'Bachelor's Buttons'—that was what she'd called them.

Her profile was beautiful and familiar, and he felt a gnawing ache inside as he longed to gather her up in his arms, to hold her again—to somehow reclaim all that he'd lost. And before he realized what was happening, he found himself doing just that—enfolding her in his arms, breathing deeply of her scent—familiar, yet different, he thought, and decided it was the perfume of honey and wildflowers that permeated her hair and skin that was new. He leaned down to her and kissed her—gently, this time, reining in the need and desire that had overwhelmed him yesterday and pulsed through his veins still. He kissed her neck—skin soft and silky, just as he remembered—up to her jaw and over to her mouth, cutting off her startled exclamation. She had the most incredibly kissable mouth he'd ever known, he thought, as he sighed deeply.

Then Rio, who'd been caught completely off her guard, pulled herself together and shoved him away. "What the hell do you think you're _doing_?" she fumed, glaring up at him. "I _told_ you, it's over between us. I'm happy _here_. I'm not going back—not now, not _ever_."

"I could settle here with you," he mumbled, his eyes pleading her as he reached out a hand to caress down her hair to her back. She unconsciously leaned into his hand slightly, and he smiled a little to himself—he still remembered exactly how she had liked to be touched, and apparently that hadn't changed.

She shook herself slightly, as if waking, then glared at him again. "No, Vaughn. I'm giving you work as much because you need the job as because I need the help. But you're no more than an employee to me now. And that isn't going to change. I'm seeing someone else, and I'm happy," she declared emphatically.

"Funny," he said in a low voice, "you don't _sound_ happy. Are you sure I couldn't make you happier? You've taught me my lesson, Rio. Don't I get a chance to show you what I've learned?"

She batted his hand away, irritably. "No, you don't. Go find someone else to impress."

"I don't want to impress anyone but you. I love you, Rio. I have since the first day I set eyes on you. I just didn't realize how much until you were gone."

"Well, I _don't_ love _you_ anymore. Now shut it, Vaughn—or I'm making nothing but carrots for lunch."

He stiffened slightly, and his hand froze. "_Carrots_? You _wouldn't_."

"_Try me_," she said, narrowing her eyes at him. "Carrot soup, carrot salad, carrot bread, carrot juice, carrot cake—"

"All right, all _right_. You win. For now," he exclaimed, feeling nauseated at the thought of such a meal. He pulled his hand away. _Dang_, she really knew how to fight dirty, he thought to himself as they turned and headed back towards the main farm.

On the way back towards the house, she resumed explaining her farm's operations. "I have fields for hay as well as grazing, so anytime I'm getting low on hay, you can cut down some grass. Just make sure you do it either before the animals are let out in the morning, or after they're put away for the night—they're curious, as you know, and I don't want them getting accidentally nicked. I'll show you where the tools are kept—they're in the same chest as the fish food and the medicine. If you run out of food for the fish, you can get that at the bait shop in the general store. That's open only on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, though, except for festivals, so keep that in mind. As for other supplies, Rod sells pet food, and Neil sells chicken feed and treats for the animals. You can also buy hay from him, if you suddenly run out and neither of us has time to cut more. If you need to buy supplies anywhere, just tell them it's for me, and let me know so I can settle up with them later. Got all that?" she asked as they reached the house.

Vaughn thought for a moment, then nodded. Though she had more animals here than she'd had on the island, it really didn't seem like that many for such a large farm. Still, it wasn't surprising that she needed some help—and that might work out for the best in the end, anyway, since it might give him the chance to prove himself to her. At the very least, it was time spent near her.

As they reached the door of her house, he said, "So five cattle and six sheep? That's not many for a farm this size, is it? You planning to expand some?"

She shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. I sell my products to specialty markets in the city who want to offer organic goods. I label my animal products with the name of the animals they come from—I guess the city folk eat it up, buying a bottle of milk or a wedge of cheese labeled "Rosie" or "Bonnie". Gives them a sense of connection or something. And my fleeces I mostly to small craft shops, both unprocessed fleeces for handspinners and yarn for knitters and crocheters. And Clement and Hossan also buy fresh produce and fish from me for their kitchens."

She showed him where to find the supplies he'd need and told him to put the milk and eggs in the refrigerator and any fleeces in the storage cupboard, and she'd take it from there. Then she grabbed a couple of water bottles and filled them, handing one to him as they stepped back outside. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to hurry up and get a move on. My crops are coming in thick and fast, and the critter festival's just a couple days away. It lasts four days, so I have to get as far ahead with my farm work as I can before then. Help yourself to drinks if you get hot or thirsty. Lunch will be right about noon." Then she ran off towards the eastern part of her farm, leaving Vaughn standing on the porch.

He watched her as she ran lightly across the fields, gracefully vaulting over fences to save time as she raced against the sun. He tugged his hat down low as she vanished among the trees of her orchard, then he slowly headed to the barn and got to work.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: A New Beginning, and the locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot is my own invention.  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon DS: Sunshine Islands, and the locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and Marvelous Interactive Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	6. Horses

**Horses**

Vaughn looked up at the sky and saw the sun was high overhead. Time for a break, he thought as he stretched his aching back. Goddess, he hadn't worked this hard in ages. He was gonna feel it in the morning, he thought to himself, wincing. Still, he had to admit that it felt good to really use his muscles for a change, instead of just riding all over the countryside on his horse, looking for any trace of his lost love.

Lost love…. He'd imagined finding her a thousand times or more, played it over and over in his head, an internal movie set to the cadence of hoofbeats. And each time she'd been happy—no, not just happy… _ecstatic_—to see him, moved to tears by his devotion. Sometimes they returned to the islands in his daydreams, and sometimes they stayed put wherever he found her. But most often, they'd pack up and move to a whole new place. Somewhere quiet, isolated… just the two of them. Somewhere sunny and warm, where she could really blossom. She thrived in the sun, just like those big yellow sunflowers she admired. In his dreams, she had whole fields of sunflowers, and she danced happily through them as the sun smiled down at her.

He sighed as he wiped the sweat from his brow. Things hadn't turned out at all like he'd dreamed… but at least he'd finally found her. True, she seemed pretty keen on that kid, and sure, she was mad as hell about the other women…. Not that he could really blame her. He shook his head. What an ass he'd been, behaving that way. He was old enough, he should have known better. He _did_ know better—but he'd gone ahead and done it anyway, and then he'd made it worse by trying to deny it and shift some of the blame. And now he was reaping a mighty bitter harvest from those wild oats. Still, he appreciated the opportunity she'd given him, letting him work for her when she could have just sent him packing. And while she'd made it very clear that there was a boundary between them now that he was not to cross under any circumstances… he hoped that with time and association, she might soften that boundary—might even do away with it all together, if luck was on his side.

He trudged up the steps to the house, and paused for a moment. The front door was wide open, and an unfamiliar scent was wafting through it. He sniffed, frowning as he tried to place it, then sauntered on in, scraping his boots before stepping through the doorway. Tossing his hat onto the sideboard, he saw Rio at work in the kitchen, her face flushed from heat and dewy from steam, damp hair clinging to her face and neck where it had escaped her ponytail. She was stir-frying something, shaking the wok to toss the contents, then stirring vigorously as she added a sauce of some sort. A spicy-sweet fragrance filled the house, and she shook the pan a few more times before pulling it off the burner and quickly turning to pour the contents into a large bowl on the counter. She looked up as he came over, smiled distractedly, and turned back to her work, quickly removing a bowl and two large jugs from the fridge.

She grabbed a pair of plates and a couple of containers and lined them up. As she dished up rice, topped it with the stir-fry, and added sliced ripe mango to the plates and the smaller container, he asked, "What's cookin'? Doesn't look familiar. Smells spicy, though."

"Chili prawns," she replied, not looking up as she started to pour iced tea. She paused, the glass half-filled, and asked, "Tea, lemonade, or half and half?"

"Half and half, please. Thanks," he replied "Can I help?"

"Sure. Take those plates to the table, please?"

As she finished pouring their beverages, he carried the plates out. She snapped lids on the containers, grabbed the glasses and some napkins and silverware, and joined Vaughn at the table. They sat down, and he took a small taste of the food. He didn't care for fish, but he'd never tried prawns before. "Not bad," he said before taking a larger bite. "When'd you learn to make it?"

"Just recently. It's Neil's absolute favorite. Hana had the recipe, and she had intended to give it to me after he and I started going out last summer, but she accidentally dropped her notebook of recipes into the river one day while she was out for a walk. Pages kept turning up here and there in the rivers and streams around here for weeks afterwards. Luckily she wrote them with India ink, so once the papers dried, she could still make them out well enough to copy them down into a new notebook, and she made copies of each them for me. It took her a while to write them all out again, so I only just received it a couple of weeks ago."

"Huh. Well, it's good. I don't like fish, but these prawns are different. They're not all soft and flaky like fish is."

"Yeah, I remember. Just about the only fish you ever could stand was raw fish, either sashimi or sushi. And even then you weren't a fan of it, just tolerated it."

After a few minutes of eating in silence, Rio looked over at Vaughn. "So how'd the work go? Any problems? Questions?"

He wiped his mouth and leaned back in his chair, taking a long drink of his tea and lemonade before answering. "It was fine. It's good to do some work again—I was starting to get out of shape. I wasn't as fast as I'd like, but I'll speed up after I get used to it. I expect I'll be pretty sore in the morning, though."

"Yeah, I'd think so, if you haven't worked steadily in a while. Sorry about that."

Vaughn shook his head. "Don't be. I like the work, and I _am_ grateful you're giving me the chance to do it, in spite of… well, in spite of everything."

She shrugged as she took a bite of chilled mango, washing it down with a sip of her drink. "Yeah, well, it just worked out to our mutual benefit. You needed a job, and I needed help. Everyone's been after me for more than a year now to get some help. When Neil and I started seeing each other, I think a lot of people expected that he'd be helping me on the farm—that we'd get married before long, or even just that he'd move in with me. And maybe all that might make sense, in a way, but…." She paused to eat more mango while Vaughn watched her, curiously.

"But?" he prompted her, after a minute.

Again she just shrugged. "Things don't always work out the way you expect, do they? I mean, look at us. Not all that long ago, I fully expected that we'd soon get married, you'd move your business to my ranch, maybe we'd have a kid or two…. But you didn't want to settle down, and I've moved on. Now I seem to be in a similar situation again. Though at least I don't have to worry about being pregnant and alone this time," she added in a faintly bitter tone. She stood up, grabbed her dishes and stalked out to the kitchen, suddenly annoyed.

"Rio? What's wrong? Why don't you… you mean you and he haven't…?" Vaughn said, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Never mind. I was just yammering. Forget I said anything." She grabbed their water bottles to refill, and scowled when she saw Vaughn's was still nearly full. Draining the tepid water off and refilling both with cold water from the tap, she scolded him. "You need to drink your water. You're not used to the climate here—you're used to much lower elevations. The air in the summer can be as dry as a desert. You'll make yourself sick if you don't drink enough."

He grunted as he pushed back his chair and picked up his empty dishes, taking them to the kitchen. "I'm fine. I can look out for myself."

Rio rolled her eyes as she prepared to wash the dishes, tossing him a towel. "Whatever. At least leave the hat and vest behind. You should go see Yuri about some new clothes, get yourself something more suitable for summer than those jeans and long-sleeved shirts you're so fond of wearing. Here, I'll wash, you dry."

As she put away the last dried dish, she said, "If you're done with your work, let's saddle up the horses. I need to take Neil his lunch and make a few other stops, so I can show you around the town and introduce you to some of the villagers here. Then I'll take you up the mountain and show you around a little. There's trails, but some of them run pretty close to the edges of cliffs—they can be dangerous if you're on horseback and your horse gets spooked."

"Sure. Fine," Vaughn replied with his characteristic lack of enthusiasm. He really wasn't a 'people person,' so he hated being dragged around to meet a lot of strangers. But it was time spent with Rio, so he was willing to put up with it just for that alone.

She grabbed the containers of food and filled a large water bottle, then pulled some jugs and bags from the refrigerator. Then she carefully placed everything into her backpack, and headed for the door. "Don't forget your water," she reminded him as he started to follow her. He shrugged and grabbed the water bottle, then followed her out the door.

They saddled their horses and led them out. Vaughn started towards Rio to offer her a leg up, but she swung up into her saddle and was ready to go before he'd taken more than two steps. So he mounted his gelding and off they rode.

The village was too isolated for many to bother with motor vehicles. None of the residents owned one, and the only regular vehicles to be found were delivery trucks and the trucks that hauled goods away from Emma's shipping business to the city for distribution. These generally stopped just within the boundary of the village, where Emma's house and storage shed were located, so it was rare to encounter a vehicle on the town's roads. They were all dirt roads—all right for walking or riding, but unpleasant to drive on, especially in the dry summer weather.

Rio's first stop was at Emma's, to leave the goods that she wanted to ship that day—some milk and eggs, and an assortment of vegetables and herbs from her fields. Watching her as she pulled these goods from her pack, Vaughn asked, "Can you really make a living selling so little?"

She laughed and said, "Surprisingly, yes. Some items are more valuable than others, of course—the yak's milk, for example, fetches quite a high price. I guess it's a fad right now, and my Layla produces a lot of really high quality milk. Plus I've worked hard to build up a good reputation, so that gives me a competitive edge in the market. Customers ask for my products by name in shops, so the shopkeepers specify my products from their suppliers. I could expand and sell a lot more, but I'd rather keep my operation smaller and more manageable. I make enough for my needs, and that suits me fine."

He looked at her in surprise as she vanished into a small outbuilding near the back of the property. She'd matured a lot since she'd left, become more shrewd, more confident, more… independent. Of course, she'd always had an independent streak in her. But when they'd met, she was still reeling from the sudden loss of both her parents and feeling a little like a lost lamb. He suspected that was part of why she'd been attracted to him, at least at first. Fifteen years her senior, he represented the stability and security that she had craved and needed. How could she possibly have known that despite his advantage in years, he trailed her in maturity?

He heard a peal of laughter from the shed, and a moment later, she emerged, still laughing and pulling a smiling middle-aged woman along with her. The woman had a kerchief tied over strawberry blonde curls, and she wore yellow rain boots and a big apron over her clothes, decorated with two big apple patches. "Vaughn, this is Emma. She runs the local shipping business, so she's the one that collects my goods and sells them to the distributors."

Tipping his hat as he looked solemnly down at her, he said, "How do you do, ma'am?"

Emma giggled and smiled up at him. "Well, Rio, he certainly is charming! Pleased to meet you, Vaughn. I do hope you enjoy your stay in our little village!"

He tipped his hat to her again as Rio mounted, and he noticed that she had a vastly amused look in her eyes. She waved to Emma and they set off at a brisk trot towards the plaza, arriving at the same time as a pretty blonde dressed in a waitress's uniform. Rio again slipped to the ground, and digging out the water and food from her pack, she hurried up to the stall where he could see Neil leaning, glowering up at him.

"Hi, honey, sorry I'm a little late. I took the time to make your favorite for you, so I hope you don't mind?" she said as she handed him the meal.

He flushed and grumbled, "Yeah, thanks. But I told you, don't call me that—not in public anyway. And what's _he_ doing here?"

Rio sighed, then said, "I'm showing him around, introducing him to some of the townsfolk while I run my errands, then I'm going to take him up the mountain, show him the trails. Plus our horses need the exercise. You should bring Jack back with you tonight—then we can go for a ride tomorrow. I still have enough room in the barn for him, even with Flash there."

"Hey, I've been promising to give Lissie some riding lessons—why don't I bring back a couple of my horses, too, and we can go on a group ride!" Rod called from his stall.

"Who's your friend, Rio?" the pretty blonde asked, looking up at Vaughn with large, deep blue eyes.

Before Rio could reply, a voice called, "Did someone say something about riding lessons? Can I join in? I've been _dying_ to learn how to ride a horse!" A moment later and a cheerful redhead trotted up the path towards them. "Hey, Rio, who's the handsome stranger?"

Sighing, Rio replied, "This is Vaughn. He'll be working on my farm, at least for the time being. Vaughn, this is Tina, that's Rod over there—the guy that trained my pets—and his girlfriend, Felicity."

He nodded to Rod, then tipped his hat to Tina and Felicity, saying, "Ladies, it's a pleasure."

Felicity smiled up at him, but Tina squealed. "Ooh! How dashing! Are you a cowboy?" Without waiting for an answer, she turned to Rod, saying, "So will you? Will you teach me how to ride a horse, too? Pleeeease?"

Rio noticed the look of dismay on Rod's face, and looked up at Vaughn. "It's much easier to learn one-on-one. Maybe _you_ could give her a lesson?"

He glared down at her and opened his mouth to protest, but Tina cut him off. "Oh, would you? How thrilling—riding lessons from a real cowboy! I'm so excited! Hey, Rod, can I borrow a horse from you? What time are we meeting up? Let's all meet at the river at ten tomorrow, and bring a picnic to eat at the lake! Oh, I can't wait!" Then before anyone could respond, she was dashing off again, this time towards the general store.

"Wha… what just happened?" Vaughn asked, after a moment of stunned silence.

"Tina, our local reporter and mail carrier, just happened," Rio said, looking at him with an amused look.

"And you want me to teach _her_ how to ride? Forget it. Count me out."

Somehow Rio managed to convey with a single look a reminder that he was not yet back in her good graces, and that his refusal to help her friends when asked would _not_ be counted in his favor. In that moment, he realized that he cared more about winning Rio back than anything else, so he found himself saying, "Okay. I'll do it. But you _owe_ me, Rio."

She just smiled enigmatically at him in reply.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: A New Beginning, and the locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot is my own invention.

**Disclaimer:** Harvest Moon DS: Sunshine Islands, and the locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and Marvelous Interactive Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	7. Opening

**Opening**

After everyone agreed to Tina's proposed meeting time and place, Rio gave Neil a quick kiss, grinning at his grumbling protests, and swung back up into her saddle. "Come on, Vaughn," she called as she started towards the woods behind the plaza. "There's three paths out of the village, and this is one of them. Follow me," and she urged her mare ahead and vanished into the shady forest.

Vaughn started after her, but Neil grabbed hold of Flash's bridle as he started to trot past. "Remember," he growled, scowling up at him, "Hands _off_."

Looking down at him with one eyebrow raised, Vaughn drawled, "Kid, if _you_ were more 'hands _on_,' you wouldn't have to worry about what anyone _else's_ hands were up to." Then he jerked free and headed into the forest at a canter, ignoring Neil's black look boring into his back.

The trail was just wide enough for two to ride abreast, so he pulled up alongside Rio and slowed to match her mare's gait. She glanced over at him, saying, "I have a couple of people I need to see on the west side of the village. This trail is kind of a back road through the woods between the two ends of the village. A little ways ahead the path splits, and you can either go on up the mountain or head into the village—that's the second way in or out of town." As she spoke, they reached the fork, and she turned her mare south.

A few minutes later, the woods thinned, and they stepped out of the shadows into the golden glow of the fall afternoon. Vaughn soon recognized the back of the inn up ahead, and saw a few large houses that he'd only halfway noticed yesterday. Rio turned her horse towards one of these, a pretty little cottage surrounded by flowers, and dismounted at the gate. She paused and looked up at him, waiting, so he slid to the ground and walked over.

"This is Olivia's house. She runs the teashop on weekends. I need to talk to her for a few minutes, so come on in and meet her. She's a beautiful person—inside and out. But she's taken," she added with a grin.

Vaughn snorted. "As if I cared, anyway."

She laughed as she pushed open the gate. "Well, wait 'til you meet her. _Everyone_ falls in love with her, at least a little bit—women as well as men."

"Did _you_?" Vaughn asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

"Madly," Rio said, laughing again, "but just in that schoolgirl-crushy kind of way. She really _is_ a very charming lady, though." Then she pushed the door open and stepped in.

"Liv! Are you home?" she called, looking around.

A voice floated in from the back of the house—a sweet, lilting voice, as smooth as silk and as musical as birdsong. "Yes, I'm here! I'm in the back yard, just come on through!"

Rio led him through a tidy living area, decorated with flowers and houseplants everywhere, and through a door at the rear of the house. He stepped out into a small but flourishing garden—an exotic paradise in miniature. And most exotic of all was the lady rising from her seat in a bower of jasmine and honeysuckle. Tall and willowy, with long, waves of snowy white hair touched with the faintest tinge of lilac rippling over her shoulders and down her back, her skin bronzed nearly as deeply as Rio's, and dressed in layer upon layer of loose, flowing fabric in shades of purple and gold. She looked like a princess or perhaps even a goddess, and Vaughn wondered how it was that such a creature came to rest in this tiny mountain village.

"Vaughn, you're _staring_," Rio whispered to him as she elbowed him in the ribs, looking amused. He shook himself and frowned down at her. But she'd already turned towards the beautiful woman as she stepped gracefully around pots of tropical plants towards them, her hands outstretched as she welcomed her guests.

"Rio," she exclaimed in her lyrical voice, "I'm delighted to see you. Who is your handsome friend?"

"This is Vaughn. He's going to be helping me out on the farm, so I'm sure you'll see him around," she replied with a smile.

"Vaughn? Welcome to our little village. I hope you'll be happy here," Olivia said, turning towards him with large, liquid, blue-violet eyes.

"Y-yes, ma'am," he replied, slightly flustered. "I reckon so." Then recollecting himself, he hastily tipped his hat, his cheeks slightly flushed.

Turning back to Rio, she asked, "Will you take a glass of iced tea? Or perhaps some lemonade? No? Then to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

"I'm just stopping by to let you know that the peaches and mangos are coming in, as well as the summer crop of tea, so if you want any for your shop, just come by one morning soon."

Olivia clapped her hands in delight. "How lovely! Thank you, Rio. Your produce really _is_ the best. Do you know, some of the more regular tourists even ask for tea from your farm by name? You're getting quite a reputation!"

Rio laughed. "Thanks, Liv, that's kind of you to say. We need to get going, but do stop by anytime!"

Next, Rio headed down the sloping path leading from the bluff. She stopped in front of a small shop and slid down to the ground. "Come on in and meet Yuri," she said as she turned towards the front door. Vaughn sighed and resolutely followed her in.

"Rio! How nice to see you," a young woman half-hidden by a pile of fabrics called as they walked through the door. "Oh, and you brought a friend?" She stepped around from behind her work table, looking suddenly shy. "How, uh, how do you do?" she asked, holding out a hand to Vaughn.

He took it and gave it a gentle shake. "Fine, thanks."

"This is Vaughn. He's going to be working on my farm, so I'm showing him around," Rio explained.

"Oh, that's nice. I know you've been working your fingers to the bone lately. That's a lot for one person to manage alone, especially with all you've been doing for the village, too. I had hoped that Neil…. Well, anyway, what can I do for you?"

Overlooking the comment regarding her boyfriend, Rio said, "Well, you know the Fireworks Festival is coming up soon, and I don't have anything that I want to wear to it. I was hoping you could help me out with that?"

Vaughn groaned to himself—_clothes shopping_, of all things. Almost as detestable as carrots—not quite, but close. He leaned against a counter and stoically prepared himself for a long wait.

Yuri pulled at her lip as she thought. "Well, I have some nice new skirts in… I don't think they're really your 'thing' though. Let's see…." She dug through a rack and pulled out a trio of skirts—all longish and full, one was in a light cotton print, one in chambray, and one was a tiered skirt in different floral prints.

Rio scowled. "No, they aren't are they. I want something casual, since I'll be sitting on the grass, and I want something that's… well, sexy but not trampy. I'm not going to a nightclub, after all."

"Hmmm… sexy yet sweet…. Ah! I think I know juuuust…." Once more she dove into her racks of clothing. After a few minutes of digging around, she pulled out a hanger with a pair of bleached, distressed short shorts and a pair of hangers with lacey, sheer tops hanging from them. "Here we are!" she proclaimed with a satisfied nod as she held them up for Rio's inspection.

"I don't know…" Rio said, looking at the tops doubtfully. "Those are awfully skimpy, aren't they?"

"Yes, on their own, but when you layer them…. Here, take these back and try them on, see if you like them and how they fit."

Rio took the clothes from her and went back to the changing room. She stepped back out a few minutes later dressed in the outfit, and Yuri walked around her, revolving like a satellite around a star as she inspected the effect and the fit with a critical eye. Vaughn took a look at her and let out a long, low whistle. Rio blushed, and Yuri glanced over at him, startled from her professional reverie, and smiled. "Well, it seems your friend here approves, anyway. It _does_ look terrific on you—the white lace is very striking against your dark tan. The shorts are a little baggy, and the shoulders of the outer top need some fitting. The camisole is fine—you're a little tall for it, but it still looks good, just a little more cropped than was intended. If you like it, I can adjust the fit and get it to you well before the day of the festival."

"I guess it's not _very_ revealing layered like this—and I'll be wearing it at night, anyway," Rio mused. "All right, I'll take it. Thanks, Yuri!" She changed back into her clothes, handed the new outfit to Yuri and paid up. Yuri said she'd have it ready within a week, and they took their leave.

As Rio mounted Sahara, Vaughn looked up at her. "Better watch out, Rio."

She looked at him in surprise as he swung up into his saddle. "For what?"

"You could really get a man all hot 'n' bothered in a get-up like that. Just… be careful."

She flushed and frowned at him. "Knock it off, Vaughn. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself," she said, and urged her mare ahead, this time heading east.

Vaughn shrugged, muttering to himself, "Don't say I didn't warn you," before following after her.

He caught up to her and fell in alongside her. She remained silent, though, as they passed a few more houses and shops until they came full circle to Emma's house. She was in her front yard this time, weeding a flowerbed, and she waved to them cheerily as they rode past.

"This is the final path out of town—the one you must have arrived by, if you met Neil on the road to town." She stopped at a fork in the path, and looked towards the east. "That leads to the main road, which will take you to some of the other towns around here, and eventually to the lowlands and the cities." Then she turned her horse and looked up the path leading north. "This path leads along the river and up the mountain. We'll be meeting the others here tomorrow, then taking this path up to the lake near the peak."

Before she could start up the trail, though, someone shouted her name. Turning, they saw a young boy racing up the path. They stopped and waited for him to catch up to them. He paused, panting for breath, then looked up at Rio. "Rio, Neil says to come to your farm quick! He says your cow's having her calf, and she's having a hard time!"

Looking startled, she looked over at Vaughn. "Thanks, Toni. Crap, I'd better get over there. You've still got hours of daylight, though, if you want to go on ahead and explore. Other than right here, where the path splits and heads to the main road, the only other path that doesn't eventually lead back to the village is the one that heads down into the mines. I'd avoid that one, though, while you're on horseback anyway. And stay away from cliffs, for now anyway."

She turned and urged her mare into a gallop, hurrying back to her farm. Vaughn watched her go, Toni running after her, until she was out of sight. Then he looked up the path, thinking. Finally he made up his mind, and continued on towards the mountain.

* * *

><p>"Well, here you are, Rio," Neil said, wearily wiping the rivulets of sweat from his forehead. "A big, strong fellow, too. What do you want to call him?" He sat tiredly on a bale of hay. This had been Rosie's first calf, and it had not been an easy delivery. The afternoon had long since given way to the shadows of the evening, and he caught the distant trilling of a hermit thrush singing a lullaby to the sun.<p>

Rio sighed. She didn't have space for a bull on her farm, not at present anyway. "He _is_ a handsome little guy. Too bad I can't keep him. I'll just call him, oh…."

"How about Vaughn?" Neil suggested.

"_Vaughn_? Why?"

"They're both full of bullshit," he replied, drily.

Rio rolled her eyes and snorted, then rose and brushed the hay from her legs. "I think I'll just call him Brownie, since that's what color he is. I'll hand him over to you once he's weaned from his mama, and you can sell him at your shop or to a dealer, whatever you think's best." She stretched, arching her back and wincing as something popped loudly. She held out a hand to Neil and pulled him up. "Come on, let's get cleaned up and go out to dinner. My treat. Do you want to go to Clement's, or to the inn? The inn's a little quieter…."

"Yeah, but if we go there, you know Niko's just gonna shove a cream puff in my face. He's determined to convert me into a dessert lover," Neil grumbled.

"I'll save you from the scary cream puff if he comes at you with one, I promise," Rio said with a tired smile. "Meet you at your house in half an hour or so?"

"Sure," Neil said with a sigh. Then he looked over at Rio, who was gazing fondly at the newborn and his mother, and a tender look came into his eyes. "Hey," he said, reaching out for her. "C'mere." He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, rubbing his cheek against her hair. She smelled of hay and sweat and muck and even a little of blood from the birth of the calf—but he didn't care. After all, he did, too.

She leaned tiredly into him, then reluctantly tore her gaze from the little bull calf with a sigh. "I guess we should go. I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

Neil chuckled—a rarity for him. "You have an insatiable appetite," he said, kissing her on top of her head.

"Hey—farming's hard work!" she protested.

"True," he admitted with a smile, then he took her hand in his and led her out of the barn.

They parted at the pasture gate. "See you in a little while," he said, then he gave her a kiss, allowing himself to linger a little longer than usual this time, since they were alone. Though he was becoming more and more comfortable around her and with their relationship, it was a painfully slow process. He was intensely introverted and private by nature, and that made him uncomfortable around others. She was glad that he was finally starting to feel at ease with her, regardless of how long it was taking.

* * *

><p>Hossan was delighted to see them, and due to the lateness of the hour, he had no trouble seating them at a quiet table. He held out menus, but they waved them away. "Thanks, but I already know what I want," Neil said.<p>

"Me, too," Rio said. "I'd like a bowl of tom yum, some kimchi, and bibimbap, and iced tea to drink, please." She smiled up at Hossan and looked over at Neil.

"Uh, I'll have the chirashi sushi, please. And, uh, I'll have iced tea, too. Thanks, Hossan."

"Sure thing," he beamed at them, then hurried off to the kitchen.

He brought their food out a very short while later, smiling happily as they thanked him. He returned to the kitchen, leaving them virtually alone. The only other occupants in the dining room were a small group of older ladies in a far corner, sipping tea as they talked in low tones among themselves.

"How can you eat that spicy crap all the time?" Neil asked, frowning, as he poked at his food with his chopsticks.

Rio shrugged. "I like it. My mom cooked a lot of spicy food. She was from the tropics, remember, and that's just how they cooked where she grew up. So spicy food reminds me of her."

He didn't say anything more. He knew her parents had died, but she'd never said much about it or gone into details, and he didn't want to pry. He assumed that if she wanted to talk about it, that she would just do so.

Neil had a lot to learn about women.

As predicted, when Hossan came to clear their dishes away, he brought with him a huge, gooey cream puff. "When Niko heard you were here, Neil," Hossan said with a proud smile, "he prepared this just for you! He says he's been working on his recipe, and he just knows you'll love it _this_ time!"

Looking down at the confection before him, Neil frowned and opened his mouth. Rio cut him off, though, saying, "Thank you so much, Hossan! And can we get a slice of chocolate cake, too, please? And coffee. Thanks!"

He lumbered off towards the kitchen, beaming with delight, and Neil scowled at her. "Right. Thanks for your '_protection'_."

Rio giggled and said, "Shh! Keep it down. _I'll_ eat the cream puff, you big goof—I _said_ I would, didn't I?"

"You're eating _two_ desserts?" Neil said, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"_No_! The cake's for _Rod_—to thank him, you know, for closing up your shop and getting your animals and cart back for you. He was even nice enough to bring Jack back with him, so you can ride him tomorrow. Didn't you even notice him bring him by?"

"Yeah, I guess vaguely, now that you mention it. I _was_ kind of distracted at the time, you know, being elbow deep in a cow and all."

"I guess that _would_ be a bit distracting," Rio agreed with a grin.

Just then, Hossan reappeared with a large slice of rich, dark chocolate cake and two steaming mugs. As he set the plate and cups before them, he said, "By the way, Rio, where's that friend of yours got to?"

"Friend?" Rio said, frowning in confusion.

"Yeah, you know—Vaughn. I haven't seen him all day."

"You… you haven't? That's weird, he should have gotten back some time ago." Rio scowled, thinking. "Let's see, it's been what… maybe seven hours now since you sent Toni for me? That's more than enough time to ride every trail on the mountain—twice, at least. Where could he have gotten to? You don't suppose… could he have had an accident?"

Hossan hurried off to wrap the desserts to go while Rio pulled out enough cash to cover the bill and tip. As soon as he handed them the bag, she darted out the door, Neil close behind. She was so oblivious in her concern that she nearly ran right into Olivia.

"Oh! I'm so sorry," she apologized, flushing in embarrassment. "Please excuse me, Liv, but I'm in a big hurry. I'll talk to you later." Then she started to race off, but Olivia clutched her arm.

"Oh, wait, Rio—I really need your help, just for a moment. A stray has arrived at my house, and I don't know where he came from or what to do with him."

"A… a stray?" Rio stopped, looking at her in bewilderment. "Wouldn't Rod—"

"Oh, he's not a dog. He's a horse. A great, big, black horse, with a big patch of white on his back covered with black spots. And he has a saddle, but no rider. Do you know to whom he belongs?"

Rio's face visibly paled, even in the silvery moonlight, and she swayed slightly in shock. "Yes, I do—he belongs to Vaughn, who apparently never came back from his ride up the mountain."

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: A New Beginning, and the locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot is my own invention.  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon DS: Sunshine Islands, and the locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and Marvelous Interactive Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	8. Fire

**Fire**

Rio raced up the bluff, while Neil chased after her. She stopped at Olivia's house, and sure enough, there was Flash, his reins trailing on the ground, his saddle empty. Neil caught up to her, panting from the run, and she said, "Can you take care of Flash? I'm going to go look for Vaughn." Then she turned and started to run towards the path into the woods, but Neil grabbed her arm.

"Oh no, you don't. You're not going up there by yourself in the dark. Besides, what if he _did_ manage to hurt himself? You gonna carry him back all by yourself? You can go looking for him—I seriously doubt I could stop you, anyway. But I'm coming with you. We can bring the horse with us, in case we need him."

Rio hesitated, then nodded curtly before turning back to the path and running towards the forest, Neil leading the gelding as he followed behind her. He didn't like this turn of events—didn't like that she was so worried about this former lover of hers. But, he had to admit to himself, it was characteristic of her—to be so worried about others. She was always looking out for people, worrying about them, helping them, _caring_ for them… even strangers. That was something he'd never really developed a knack for, himself, and couldn't really understand it in her. But… he admired it, all the same.

She vanished into the depths of the forest ahead of him, and moments later he heard a thud and a crash in the bushes, followed by muffled expletives. Fearful that she'd somehow managed to hurt herself already, he broke into a run, pulling the gelding along by his reins. As his eyes adjusted to the near-absence of light under the trees, he saw not one, but two figures lying on the ground, and realized that she'd managed to run straight into someone. He helped her up, then turned to the other figure.

It was Vaughn.

"What the _hell_, Rio?" he exclaimed, picking himself up and brushing himself off.

"_Vaughn_? I think that's _my_ line—where have you _been_? What were you thinking, getting everyone so worried about you, just disappearing like that?"

"_Everyone_?" he asked, looking over at Neil.

Neil shrugged. "_I_ wasn't worried. I just figured you'd fallen and broken your neck or something. No skin off _my_ nose."

Rio scowled at him, then groaned. "Let's go back out into the light. I think my nose is bleeding."

Sure enough, a dark rivulet was trickling down her lip. Without a word, Vaughn pulled the bandana off from around his neck and handed it to her, and she pressed it to her nose, tilting her head back.

"Sorry to worry you," he said, though he didn't look all _that_ sorry, really, Neil thought. "I _did_ have an accident of sorts—got a little too overheated. Some of the local guys and gals were out for a walk and gave me a hand and a drink, and while I rested, we all got to talking. Next thing we knew, it was getting dark, and some of the girls wanted to make a bonfire. They tried to find you two, but they couldn't track you down."

"And your horse? What happened with him?" Rio asked, slightly muffled by the edges of the cloth.

"Burning log cracked with a loud bang as I was putting his bridle on him to go look for you. Startled him, and he bolted. I was chasing after him when you ran into me."

Just then, Rod and a slender young woman with long black hair came running out of the woods. "Hey! You found him! And Rio and Neil, too!" Rod exclaimed.

"_There_ you are," the lady with him replied. "I was a little worried when we couldn't find you—not _too_ worried, though, since I was sure you were with Neil." She walked over to Rio and put an arm around her waist, giving her a little squeeze.

Rio laughed as she returned the embrace. "I'm fine, Irie—we were having dinner at the inn, that's all. Rosie had her calf, and she had a hard time of it. We were both wiped out afterwards." Turning to Vaughn, she said, "I assume you've met Iroha, then? She's my closest friend—she moved here not long after I did, and we've been the best of friends ever since."

Vaughn nodded. "Yep, I've made her acquaintance."

"Well, now that the lost have been found, let's all go back to the fire—everyone's waiting for us," Rod exclaimed. "You two should come, too!"

Neil shook his head. "Naw, not my thing. Besides, I'm beat." Then he caught sight of the disappointed look on Rio's face and sighed. "You know… you _can_ go without me. It's okay, it's not like I mind or anything." Then he glanced at Vaughn with a scowl. "At least, not as long as…." He left his sentence unfinished. "On second thought, I'll come along after all."

"Yay!" Rod exclaimed, turning back towards the path.

"Let's go to my farm first, though. You can put Flash away for the night, and I can grab something to eat and drink to take with us. Oh, and Rod—you can take these," she added, taking the bag from Neil's hand and passing it to him. "There's a slice of chocolate cake in there for you, to thank you for helping Neil earlier. There's a cream puff, too—Lissie can have it. I know how much she loves sweets!"

"All right, we'll go on back and let the others know everyone's okay," Iroha said. "We're down by the river, in that big field just past where the path turns to go up the mountainside. See you soon!" Then she and Rod turned to hurry back up the path.

* * *

><p>Back at the farm, Vaughn led Flash to the barn while Neil and Rio headed into the house. Looking at the scowl on Neil's face, Rio sighed. "You know, you don't <em>have<em> to come with me. I mean, I'd love your company, but I'll be fine if you just want to go home and go to bed. You don't have to force yourself on my account."

"I'm just not real keen on the idea of leaving you alone with Vaughn like that," Neil grumbled.

Rio smiled and walked over to him, putting her arms around his neck. "I'll hardly be alone, not when there's a bunch of others." She leaned up and kissed him. "If you want to go home, then go home. Don't worry about me. I can handle myself."

Stifling a huge yawn, Neil said, "Well… are you sure? I'm still not crazy about the idea… but I'm practically falling asleep on my feet."

"I'm sure. I'll be fine." She kissed him again, then grinned up at him mischievously. "Want me to come… tuck you in? Give you some goodnight kisses?"

He frowned at her as his cheeks reddened. "_No_. Just go enjoy the shindig. I'll see you at the river in the morning." Hearing Vaughn stomping up the porch steps, he gave her a quick kiss and pulled her arms from his neck just as the door opened.

Vaughn raised an eyebrow as he looked at Neil and his reddening cheeks. "Am I interrupting something?" he asked.

"_No_!" Neil growled.

"Unfortunately…." Rio added with a slight sigh, earning a frown from Neil.

"Right. Well, you said something about food and drinks… want me to carry anything? I don't s'pose the store's still open this late?"

"No, Hana closed up shop hours ago. Why? Do you need something?" Rio asked as she headed into the kitchen.

"Naw, I was just thinking that some cold beer sounds pretty good. It's a warm night, and downright hot next to that fire."

Rio opened her refrigerator door. "Gotcha covered," she said, gesturing towards a nearly full case of lager.

Vaughn tilted his hat back and grinned at her. "So I see. Well, I'll carry _that_, and you two can carry the other stuff."

"Oh, Neil's changed his mind. He's beat, so he's going home to bed," Rio commented, rummaging in her refrigerator. "Ah! I have some potato salad here, and some coleslaw, and oh! I have another loaf of focaccia from the other night, I can stuff that…. And I have a bunch of corn, I can bring some of it to roast in the coals. That should do it," she said, piling bags and containers on the counter.

As she started slicing cheese and tomatoes for the focaccia, Neil came over to her. "Well, I guess I'm gonna head home. Thanks for dinner," he said, giving her a quick kiss on her cheek. "Have fun," he added, turning to leave.

"Don't worry, we will," Vaughn drawled as he walked by.

Neil stopped and glared at him. "Not _you_. You'd _better_ not have too much fun," he snapped, then left.

"When the cat's away…." Vaughn called after him, just as the door banged shut.

"_Vaughn_…." Rio said, and sighed as she resumed her preparations.

"I know, I _know_, Rio. But damned if I can help it. What do you _see_ in him, anyway?"

"One _might_ have asked me the same question with regards to _you_," she said, drily, as she cut the focaccia into wedges and wrapped it in foil. "There. If we put this by the fire, it'll warm up and the cheese will get all nice and melty."

They packed all the food and some paper plates and plastic cutlery and cups into a large picnic basket, along with a couple of large bottles of cold drinks, one each of iced tea and lemonade. Rio carried the basket, Vaughn picked up the cold beer, and the headed out the door. They walked in silence, Vaughn lost in thought and Rio watching for any sign of the little weasel family she'd befriended that lived near the river.

When they arrived, the fire was blazing high, illuminating the field for some little ways all around. Glad cries greeted them as they approached, and room was made for them on the logs that served as makeshift seating.

"Oooh! You brought food!" Felicity exclaimed, diving into the basket and rummaging.

Rio laughed, and pulled out the foil-wrapped focaccia and placed it near the edge of the fire. "Here, anyone who wants roasted corn grab an ear or two and clean it. Remember not to take the husks off—just the silk!"

They cleaned the corn and placed it, still wrapped in the husks, around the edge of the fire, and then they all grabbed drinks—a bottle of beer, or a plastic cup of tea or lemonade—and sat back down in the flickering light, most of them seated on the logs, except for Rio and Felicity. Rio sat on the ground, her back against the log between Vaughn and Iroha, and Felicity sat on the ground between Rod's feet, leaning against his leg as she ate.

"Ahh, I love a big, roaring fire," Tina sighed, putting her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands as she leaned forward.

"That's not at all surprising, love," a man sitting near her said, peering over his glasses at her with laughing eyes. "Your hair _looks_ like flames."

"_You're_ one to talk, Allen," she retorted. "Yours does, too!"

"Hmm…. No, he looks more like maple trees in autumn," Iroha said as she took a sip of tea.

"In the mountains of my homeland," said a pretty, white-haired young man in a soft voice, "they say that the trees turn red in the autumn chill because they are blushing at the sight of young lovers holding each other so closely to share their warmth."

"Oh, Amir, that's so _romantic_!" Felicity sighed as she took a large bite of coleslaw.

"Well, if that's true, then the only ones that could cause the trees around _here_ to turn crimson would be you and Rod. Neil and Rio certainly aren't contributing anything there!" Allen said with a laugh.

"Shut up, Allen," Rio said with a scowl as she took a sip of her beer.

"Yeah, I'm surprised that Neil ever managed to work up the nerve to kiss you the first time!" Rod said, laughing.

"Oh, I'm sure he didn't. I'd bet anything that Rio kissed _him_ instead," Allen grinned, waving his bottle towards her.

"Shut _up_, Allen," Rio snapped between clenched teeth.

Allen burst into laughter—long peals of helpless mirth. Taking his glasses off and wiping his eyes with the hem of his shirt, he said, "Don't tell me I'm _right_? My dear, I was only teasing you, I swear!"

"Remember _our_ first kiss, Rio?" Vaughn mused, staring into the fire.

Rio scowled at him and opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by the exclamations of her friends.

"Your _what_?!" Tina and Felicity exclaimed in unison, leaning in towards them excitedly.

"Whoah! Hey, does Neil know?" Rod exclaimed, eyes wide.

"I suspected as much from your interactions at my shop earlier," Yuri commented.

"Oooh! How _dishy_! I had _no_ idea you two had a _history_ together! _Do_ tell—every last detail!" Allen exclaimed, his eyes shining.

Only Amir and Iroha remained silent, the former not yet well-enough acquainted with Rio to be surprised, and the latter for reasons of her own.

Brushing her hand across her eyes as she sighed, Rio took a few swallows of her beer before responding. Glaring up at Vaughn, she said, "Well, in answer to your question—_no_. I don't remember it _at all_."

"Oooh, harsh!" Allen exclaimed.

"I was _drunk_—totally plastered."

"Well, so what _happened_?" Tina exclaimed, looking from her to Vaughn and back again.

"_You_ started it. _You_ finish it," she grumbled, still scowling, taking another swig from her bottle.

Turning to stare into the flames again, Vaughn thought for a moment before speaking. "Well," he drawled at last, "it was a chilly evening late in the fall. The day had been warm and sunny, but once the sun started to go down, it quickly grew pretty cool. I'd finished my day's work and decided to go for a stroll on one of the uninhabited islands nearby—I spent a lot of time there, since it was usually deserted. I'm not really much of a people person."

Tina opened her mouth to make a facetious comment, but Felicity caught her and smacked her leg, putting a finger on her lips to silence her.

Oblivious to this near-interruption, Vaughn continued. "Sometimes Rio'd be there—that's where I first laid eyes on her. She was there that night, and to my surprise, she was drinking. I mean _really_ drinking—not just one or two. She meant business…."

* * *

><p>Vaughn stepped off the small skiff he'd rowed over to Meadow Island, in search of some solitude after a long day's work. He pulled it up onto the shore and strolled up to the grassy plain that comprised most of the small island. To his dismay, he saw a seated figure in the distance, on the opposite end of the island from him. Pausing, he peered at the shape ahead. Then he sighed, realizing it was Rio—the resident farmer.<p>

She was a young thing, just turned eighteen shortly after her arrival—or so Mirabelle had told him. He'd been sure she'd be no good at first, but then he _met_ her… and everything changed. He tried so very hard not to think about her, to forget the way his heart had turned somersaults in his chest at that meeting and every meeting afterwards. Even now, he felt his heart flip-flopping at the sight of her in the distance, even though he'd known her for the better part of a year now.

Known her, in a manner of speaking. But really, he didn't know anything about her. Just that she was young, hard-working, good with both people and animals, and beautiful—_incredibly_ beautiful. He wondered how it happened that she was still alone. He was sure she had to have other admirers… but then, where were they?

As he slowly made his way towards her, he realized she wasn't moving, just sitting there with her knees drawn up and her head resting on them. Maybe she'd fallen asleep like that, waiting for the sunset? Then he noticed a bottle of amber liquid next to her, half empty—whiskey, he saw, as he drew near enough to recognize the label. She'd probably nodded off, if she'd drunk that much by herself. He frowned—he hadn't realized she drank, and wondered if she was developing a problem. The legal age in the islands was eighteen, but that didn't mean everyone who was old enough could handle it—'specially the hard stuff. He bent over her, reaching out a hand to gently shake her awake, and then he heard the sound of a muffled sob.

Startled, he drew back. She wasn't _asleep_—she was _crying_. She was sitting all by herself on a deserted island, drinking and crying. Not good, he thought to himself.

"Rio? You okay?" he said, quietly.

She sprang up and away, her eyes wide and her mouth open in shock. She relaxed when she realized it was him, and stood, swaying slightly, just _looking_ at him. He saw that her face was wet with tears, and fought down the urge to wipe them from her cheeks. Instead he just untied the bandana he wore around his neck and handed it to her without a word.

After a brief hesitation, she took it from him and wiped her eyes. Then she sat back down and picked up the bottle. Removing the cap, she drank several large gulps.

"Hey, go slow, little missy. That's powerful stuff." She looked away, wiped her arm across her eyes, then offered the bottle to him. He took it and looked at her as she stared towards the setting sun, seeing fresh tears taking the place of those she'd dried a moment before. "Hey, you okay? You wanna talk?" he heard himself asking. He could hardly believe he'd even _said_ those words—he usually avoided situations like this at any cost.

He took a swig from the bottle, then she held out her hand and he passed it back to her. She took a swig, too, then handed it back and leaned her head forward against her knees. "It's… it's already been a year," she said, her voice muffled by her clothes and her body and her tears.

"A… year? A year since what?" he asked, baffled, before taking another pull at the bottle.

"Since they died," she said, her shoulders shaking.

"Who died?" he asked after a brief hesitation, more kindly this time.

"My… my parents. They were killed in an accident a year ago today. They were driving home in a storm, and there was… the road… there was a landslide. It swept them down the hill and into the ocean. They… they should have stayed where they were! They'd gone away for the weekend, for their anniversary… they didn't want to leave me alone another night. They were worried about leaving me alone. They should've stayed!" She burst into tears, hugging her legs tightly as if to try to still the trembling that shook her entire body.

Vaughn stared at her in astonishment. He'd no idea—he was pretty sure that no one there had any idea, in fact. So she'd come here, recently orphaned, and dove in to save the ranch and the islands, too. She'd never given any hint of tragedy, always focused on anyone and everyone rather than on herself. He felt his heart constricting in his chest, and wanted more than anything to offer her some comfort in return for all that she'd given him and everyone else.

He put an arm across her shoulders—awkwardly, not knowing how she'd receive his gesture. But she leaned into him then, and he pulled her closer, absorbing some of her grief into his vast store of stillness. When she reached for the bottle again, he took a quick drink and handed it back to her. It was nearly empty now, but then she pulled a second bottle from her backpack on the grass next to her, and he wondered just how many bottles she'd brought.

They sat like that for a while, passing the bottle back and forth, watching the sun slowly sink into the horizon in a blaze of fiery glory. The sky gradually darkened and the moon rose behind them, bathing the islands in a silvery glow. After a few minutes, she cleared her throat, and said in a slightly slurred whisper, "I miss them, Vaughn. I miss them so much. We were so close, the three of us. I wish I'd had a chance to say goodbye… to tell them one last time how much I loved them…. I wish I'd told them to stay put and not that I was looking forward to them coming home."

After a minute, he said, "What… uh, what were your folks like?"

She took another drink and flopped back onto the grass, staring up at the sky as the stars winked into sight, one by one. "Oh, look—over there. The first star. Make a wish," she ordered, and paused—evidently making one herself. Then after a moment, she sighed and said, "Daddy was kind, gentle—he loved animals, loved flowers, and more than anything, he loved Mama and me. He was a teacher, and he taught language arts. Poetry was his favorite subject, though. Mama was sweet and patient, never complained. She was a hard worker, but she _enjoyed_ what she did—almost made it look fun, even. She always had a smile on her face. I was their only child—they'd wanted more, but Mama couldn't."

After a long pause, Vaughn said, "They sound like good folk. I'm sorry, Rio. Dunno what else to say, but I _am_ sorry. They'd be proud of you, I'm sure. You're a good kid."

She sat up again and took another long drink, then looked over at him, frowning. "Why do you always _do_ that?"

"Do _what_?" he asked, genuinely puzzled.

"Treat me like I'm a child. I'm eighteen, you know. An adult. I have my own ranch, take care of myself. I can buy _this_ crap," she added, sloshing the bottle in her hand. "You know the saying—if it looks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, it prob'ly is a duck. Well, I'm a duck now. I mean, an adult," she corrected, giggling a little.

"So I see. Kid, you may be eighteen, but I'm thirty-three. I'm _way_ ahead of you. Almost old enough to be your dad."

"Don' call me kid. Call me Rio," she said, scowling at him.

He just raised an eyebrow at her and took the bottle from her, taking a long pull as he watched her.

"Go on," she said, impatiently, "say it."

"Say what?" he drawled.

"My _name_," she said, grabbing the bottle back and looking put out.

"Maybe some other time, kid," he said, amused.

To his surprise, she shoved him back onto the ground and straddled him, hovering over him on her hands and knees, glowering into his face. "I'm _not_ a _kid_," she snapped. He stared up at her with startled eyes, seeing traces of tears still staining her cheeks and smelling the scent of her—whiskey and salt and crushed grass and leaves and hay and grain.

And then she kissed him.

Her kiss was desperate, needy, urgent—a kiss utterly careless of consequences or tomorrows. It was sweet and piquant all at once, whiskey sharpening the taste of her into a diamond tip. It took his breath away as no other kiss had before. And when she finally pulled back, glaring defiantly down at him, he lay there and stared back at her for a long moment.

Then at last, still in a daze, he reached up and stroked her cheek lightly and whispered, "Rio…."

* * *

><p>"Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmy<em>gosh<em>!" Tina squealed, clasping her hands together and bouncing on the log in excitement.

Looking panicked, Rio sat straight up and said, "Tina Louise Ferguson! Don't you _dare_ breathe a word of this in your newspaper column, or I'll tell _everyone_ all about the time you—"

"Okay, _okay_, I won't!" she interrupted, her face turning pale and her eyes widening. "But _still_! Oh! My! _Gosh_!"

"_Then_ what happened?" Felicity asked, breathlessly, her eyes sparkling.

"I took her home and got her into bed…" Vaughn started.

"Did you _take_ _advantage_ of her?" Tina gasped, looking half reproving, half horrified, and entirely hopeful.

"_No_. I most certainly did _not_. As soon as she was safe in her home, I returned to the inn and went to bed myself. And that was that." Vaughn said, exasperated.

"Awww…" said Tina, deflating. "I was hoping there was more to the story than that."

"Oh, there is. Lots more. Just not from that particular night."

Seeing her friend opening her mouth eagerly, Rio hastily jumped up. "Oh, look, everyone—the corn's ready! Grab an ear, quick—before it scorches!" And she picked up a hot ear of corn and threw it to Tina, who yelped as she grabbed the hot packet, forgetting all about her question as a result. At least, for the moment….

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: A New Beginning, and the locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot is my own invention.  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon DS: Sunshine Islands, and the locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and Marvelous Interactive Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	9. Ice

**AN:** I decided to post this Tuesday evening instead of Wednesday in the early morning. I'm tired and don't want to get up at 4:30 am, but if I don't, I can't post it until late morning. So here you go, a few hours early! I hope you enjoy it, I'd love to hear what you think so far! :)

* * *

><p><strong>Ice<strong>

Tossing her corncob onto the roaring fire, Tina brushed her hands off and looked eagerly at Vaughn. Rio groaned inwardly, but Tina had purposely waited for her to take a bite before speaking up.

"So," she said, leaning forward, her eyes shining in the firelight, "you two got together after that?"

Vaughn flung his corncob onto the fire, too. "Nope."

Tina sat back, startled. "But… I thought…."

"It was just a drunken kiss, that's all," Rio said, frowning as she finished her corn.

Vaughn glanced down at her, raising an eyebrow as he looked thoughtfully at her. "True," he said after a moment. "It wasn't until winter that things began to heat up between us—in a manner of speaking."

"What do you mean?" Felicity asked, curling up and laying her head on Rod's knee as she looked up at him.

"Well," he said, slowly, sliding down to the ground and leaning back against the log. "It happened that I didn't see much of her after that night…."

Rio snorted. "You mean, you purposely avoided me after that night."

"Fair enough," he agreed, knocking his hat back and resting his elbows on the log.

"Then how _did_ you get together?" Felicity asked.

Vaughn hesitated, and Rio gave an exasperated snort. "If you're going to tell the story, then _tell_ it already—and tell it _right_. You see, we had a really bad winter that year—I was told it was the worst they'd had in decades…."

Rio stepped out of her house and shivered, despite her coat and scarf. The air stung, it was so cold and dry. Nothing grew in her fields—even the grass had died back under the heavy snowfall. She hunched her shoulders and ran towards her barns to take care of her animals, eager to get out of the wind and cold.

It was her first winter on her own, and nothing in her past had prepared her for this… this complete _dearth_. Her only sources of income were the milk, eggs, and fleece from her livestock, and whatever she caught fishing or dug up in the mines. It wasn't much, but it was enough… barely. She'd had to hold off on some of the construction she'd hoped to do over the winter, though. But then, even if she'd had the funds, she doubted that Gannon, mighty as he was, could manage to get much done in _this_ weather.

She finished up her chores and still had the rest of the day to kill. She wished she'd been better prepared, she thought yet again as she trudged through the snow-covered fields back to her house. But then, her life had taken all kinds of unexpected turns over the past year or so, she thought bitterly. Remembering her parents' deaths reminded her of that night a while back, the anniversary of their deaths. When she'd drunk herself stupid on cheap whiskey. She just barely remembered Vaughn showing up and startling her while she was drinking, but that was about the last thing she remembered until she woke late the next morning, miserable from a vicious hangover and wondering how she'd gotten home.

She sighed as she stepped into her house. She hadn't seen him since that night. Not _really_, anyway—just a glimpse now and then in the distance. But whenever she arrived where she'd seen him, he was no longer there. It was like chasing mirages. She wondered if he'd been disgusted by her drunkenness, if she'd said or done something that had shocked him. Shaking her head to clear it, she put her tools away and headed back out. She had so little to do, she found plenty of time to socialize. Not that she felt much like it in this weather, but it gave her the chance to see if there was anything she could do to help her fellow islanders out. Winter was hard all around, after all.

Her first stop was Taro's house where she dropped off the milk and few eggs she'd collected that morning to be sold at market. He patted her arm encouragingly, saying, "Don't fret, m'dear. Winter can't last forever. My old bones tell me that it'll be a bright, sunny day tomorrow, so there's _that_ to look forward to."

Smiling at the wizened old man, she thanked him before asking after his health. He was very proud to be so active at his age, but he wasn't above the occasional complaint common among the elderly. Today it was his hands. "Dadgummed cold gets to them," he grumbled. "Makes it hard to write, some days." She promised to chop some firewood for his stove later in the day and continued on her way.

She saw most of the islanders that morning as she stopped at each house and shop. But there was still no sign of Vaughn, although it was a Monday. Mirabelle noticed her looking around on her third stop there and smiled. "If you're lookin' for Vaughn, he was here early this morning. Said since business was slow, he was going to go out for a time. Can I help you with anything?"

Flushing, Rio shook her head. "No, thanks. I'm fine. I think I'll go do some fishing, or maybe some mining."

"The mines are warm and dry this time of year," Mirabelle called as she went back out the door. And as she shivered and pulled up her scarf up over her chin, Rio had to admit that warm and dry sounded pretty damned good right then. So when she reached the dock, she asked the boatman, Kirk, to take her to Volcano Island. She had her mallet and hoe with her, so she was set to do a little mining.

She was startled to see another, smaller boat already there when Kirk docked. She looked around, but didn't see any sign of anyone. Shrugging, she guessed someone must already be down in the mines, and headed towards the entrance.

Stepping inside and blinking to adjust to the relative darkness, she jumped when she saw a figure huddled at the far end of the cave. Approaching, she was even more surprised to see it was Vaughn. He looked unwell—pale, and thinner. He seemed to be asleep, but when she got closer, he started and looked up, scowling at the intrusion.

"Vaughn? Are you okay? You… you don't look well. Is there anything I can do to help you?" she asked, looking at him anxiously.

"Naw, don't bother yourself," he growled in a hoarse voice. "I can manage."

"You should be in bed," Rio started to scold. And that's when she noticed the pack and bedroll pushed back into the shadows. She stared at them for a moment, then looked at him. He stared back at her, scowling and defiant, but said nothing. "You… you've been sleeping here? In the mines? Why aren't you staying in the inn, like—" As she spoke, it dawned on her: business would be as bad for him as for her, if not worse, and he just didn't have the money.

She frowned down at him as she hesitated, making up her mind. Then she remembered something her Mama had told her once. "Kindness is when you love someone even if they don't deserve it," she'd said one afternoon as they had baked cookies together, to take to the cranky old man that lived down the road from their house. She hadn't understood, back then, why her mother wasted her delicious cookies on such a mean person time and time again. It wasn't until after he'd died that she'd learned he had been all alone, widowed and childless, and felt bitter in his loneliness. He was a cantankerous old man—but he'd always spoken of her Mama with respect and with a light in his eyes that shone for no one else in her recollection.

So with that memory fresh in her mind, she held out her hand to him, to pull him up. He didn't make it easy, of course—he just stared at her as if she'd lost her mind. "Come on," she said after a moment. "I'll get you some food."

"I don't need nothin'," he grumbled, then he began to cough, the spasms wracking his body.

Exasperated, she wished she was bigger, so that she could just pick him up bodily and carry him out of there. It might be a warm, dry shelter, but the sulfurous stench surely wasn't good for him, especially while he was sick.

"Just come _on_, already!" she exclaimed as soon as his cough subsided. "Don't be such a pain in the ass. Let me get you a hot meal."

He opened his mouth to refuse again, scowling up at her, but another paroxysm of coughing came over him. Finally she grabbed his arm and hauled him up, and although he protested, he didn't resist, either. She pulled him along behind her to the dock and got him into the boat, then hurried back to gather up his things.

When they reached Verdure Island, she stepped out, carrying his packs as well as her own, and helped him out. But as soon as he took a step, he wobbled and half fell over, landing on one knee. Kirk jumped out of the boat to lend a hand steadying him, and Ray—fishing near the dock as usual—hurried over to see if he could help. Rio asked him to hurry and get Mirabelle or Julia, and he took off at a trot towards the feed store. Meanwhile, Kirk helped her get him standing again and to support him as he suffered another bout of coughing. "I think I'd better go fetch Trent after you get him settled," Kirk said, once Vaughn quieted again.

"I reckon so. I guess I'll take him back to my house, at least for now, so if you could send him along there, that would be a big help. Thanks, Kirk." She peered off through the light snowfall to see if there was any sign of help yet, and a few minutes later, Julia came running along.

"What is it? What's happened?" she gasped, as she slipped across the icy dock towards us.

"I found Vaughn. He's pretty sick, and he can't walk too well. I need help getting him to the farm. Can you lend a hand?"

"Vaughn? _Sick_? Geez, Ma told him that was going to happen if he didn't take better care of himself. He's just too danged stubborn to listen." Julia said, exasperated. But she came around and took Kirk's place, supporting him on one side while Rio held him up on the other. Between the two of them, they managed to get him onto shore, which was less slick than the dock had been, and then they hauled him through town and to Rio's farm.

"Damn, he's half frozen," Rio muttered as they pulled him inside and quickly shut the door to keep out the cold and the snow. "Can you get his boots off and get him into bed? I'm going to start the kettle and build up the fire. Oh, crap—I need to chop some more firewood. Can you spare the time to stay with him while I do that? Kirk's gone to fetch the doctor, so he should be here in a couple of hours."

"Yeah, I can stay. Ma sent me because she was helping a customer—and you know how scarce those are these days. Though if she'd realized how sick he was, she'd have come anyway. But she'll be fine in the shop by herself for a while."

"I know she would have. Thanks, Jules—I'll be back as fast as I can. Go ahead and make tea for both of you when the kettle boils—you know where everything is."

Rio returned about half an hour later, her arms full of firewood. She carefully dropped it near the stove and hurried back out, returning a few minutes later with another armful, then made one more trip, bringing both firewood and some smaller sticks for kindling. She set some wood aside by the door to take to Taro, and put the rest in the bin by the stove. The fire was still going, but it was starting to die down a little, so she added some wood and went to inspect her guest.

"How's he doing?" she asked Julia in a low voice as she gazed down at him, sound asleep in her bed.

"Hard to say," she whispered, sipping her tea. "He gulped a cup of tea, then fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. I don't think he's feverish, or not very, so _that's_ good news, anyway."

"Well, I can manage now if you need to get back, Jules. Thanks for your help."

"Oh, sure, anytime. That's what friends are for, right, Ree? But I think I'll stick around a bit, see what the doctor says. Ma will want to know."

Rio made them some more tea and pulled up the only other chair in the house. They sat and sipped their drinks in silence, not wanting to wake Vaughn, as they waited for the doctor to arrive.

About an hour later, there was a firm knock on the door. Rio hurried over and opened it, and Dr. Trent stepped in. "Where's the patient?" he asked, then spotted him in the bed and strode over, dropping his black bag on her table and shedding his heavy winter coat as he went.

He examined Vaughn, who kept slipping in and out of a doze the whole time. Then he stood up and looked at Rio and Julia. "Well, it's not _too_ bad, yet. Just a severe bout of bronchitis. He's been neglecting his health, I see, which makes it worse. You'll have to be careful that it doesn't develop into pneumonia."

"Do you have any medicine that will help him?" Rio asked, startled by the anxiety in her own voice.

Trent shook his head. "No, not really. It's the same as with a cold—you just have to let it take its course. He should get better in a week or two, though his cough might hang on longer. But you'll need to keep him warm and dry while he recovers. He's in poor condition, though, so it's possible it will take even longer for him to fight it off." He packed his bag again and started to pull on his coat. "Plenty of fluids, plenty of rest, nutritious food, and keep him warm. Got that?"

Rio nodded. "Yes, doctor. Thanks. Can you send you bill to me?"

Julia nudged her aside. "No, doc—send it to us at the feed store. We'll pay it." Turning to Rio, she said, "I know you don't have a lot of money, Ree—you haven't been here even a year yet. Besides, Ma feels as if Vaughn's almost like a son to her. She'll want to do whatever she can to help."

She hesitated, then slowly nodded. "All right. Thanks, Jules, and tell Mirabelle thanks, too."

Doctor Trent left, and Julia started to follow, then paused and looked back with a frown. "Hey, where are _you_ going to sleep? Vaughn's got your only bed."

Rio opened her eyes wide in surprise—she hadn't thought about that. "Well… he had a bedroll in his things. I guess I could use that, set it up on the floor here…."

Julia shook her head and smiled. "Don't be an idiot, Ree. We have an old folding cot somewhere, I'll dig it out and bring it to you. We have extra bedding, too, so I'll bring you some of that. I'll be back in a while."

About an hour later, both Julia and Mirabelle showed up, carrying the cot and bunches of blankets, a couple of pillows, and a few bags. "Ma wanted to bring over some things for Vaughn, too." Julia explained as they stepped in and deposited everything on the table and floor.

"How is he, Rio?" Mirabelle asked, her face anxious as she looked at the sleeping figure in the bed.

"Quiet. He must not have slept well in ages. He hardly even woke when the doctor was examining him."

"Poor, stubborn man. I tried to warn him…. Well, I brought you a bunch of rice. He _loves_ rice porridge—I don't know if you knew that. No? It's his favorite food, if you can believe it! I guess it's just plain, simple, comfort food. Anyway, it seemed like a nice, hot meal for him. I brought you more tea and some juice, too. Oh, and some whiskey, honey, and a few lemons—for his cough, you know. I'll phone his boss and let him know he'll be out sick for a while. Is there anything else we can do for you? Then I suppose we'd best be on our way, now, and let the patient sleep. Let us know if we can help, you hear? Take care, sweetie!"

And then they were gone, and she was alone with Vaughn. The shadows were growing long at this point, so while she put away the supplies Mirabelle had brought her and set up the cot, she thought about what she could cook for dinner. She didn't know if he'd wake up and join her, though she felt as though she ought to at least try to get him to eat something. Soup maybe? She knew that he hated most vegetables—he'd told her so last summer, when she asked if he'd be at the summer crop festival. But maybe if it was just a broth…. Then she looked at the big sack of rice and decided that she'd try making porridge instead. She'd never even eaten it before, but she had a recipe that Nick had given her once. Looking at the scrawled instructions, it didn't seem too difficult, so she got too work.

An hour later, she was ladling up creamy, steaming porridge into a deep bowl. She carried it over to the bed and sat in a chair next to it. "Vaughn?" she said, gently shaking his shoulder. "Hey, Vaughn, wake up. I've got some porridge here for you."

One eye cracked open and looked up at her blearily. "Wha'…?" he croaked.

"Porridge, and a glass of juice, too. So sit up and eat while it's still hot."

He struggled to a seated position and rubbed his arm across his eyes. "Where… where am I? _Rio_? What happened?"

"Eat, and I'll explain while you eat," she said. He still just stared at her, dazed, so she sighed and said, "Are you going to eat this porridge, or do I need to feed it to you one bite at a time?"

He frowned and took the bowl from her and took a tentative bite. "Not bad. Pretty dang good, actually," was all he said, then he dove in, eating as if ravenous.

While he ate, she said, "I don't know how much you remember?"

He paused in his eating. "Last thing I remember was getting off my skiff and going into that cave on Volcano Island."

"Yeah, I figured," she said, watching him. "Well, I went to do some mining and found you there. You were in pretty bad shape—weak and coughing pretty hard. The fumes in that cavern must have made it even worse. I got you out of there and back to Verdure Island, but then you collapsed. Julia helped me get you back here, and the doctor came and looked at you. He says you have a bad case of bronchitis, and that you need to stay indoors and warm until you're better."

Vaughn scowled. "I'm fine," he insisted, then looked around. "Where am I, anyway?"

Rio raised an eyebrow at him. "In my house, where else?"

He looked startled and even turned a little red. "I'm in your bed, then?" He set the bowl down and started to rise. "I can't stay here," he said, flatly.

"Oh yes, you can—and you _will_," Rio said, pushing him back down and gritting her teeth. "Look, I don't know why you've developed such an aversion to me. But I'm not letting you back out into the snow and wind and cold—the doctor said you might get pneumonia if you weren't careful. So you're staying, if I have to strip you naked and hide your clothes."

That time Vaughn _really_ blushed, though he looked pissed off, too. "Docs don't know everything," he grumbled. "'Sides, you wouldn't dare."

"Try me," she said with a determined scowl.

He thought better of it, and sat back. "_Fine_. I'll stay. For now, anyway."

"Promise no sneaking off while I'm doing my chores or sleeping at night?" she said, suspiciously.

"Yeah, whatever. I promise." He glared up at her—but she could have sworn that, for just a moment, she caught a hint of amusement in his eyes.

Still eying him suspiciously, she went and refilled his bowl and topped off his juice. While she was dishing up, another coughing spasm hit, so she quickly mixed together some of the whiskey, honey, and fresh lemon juice and took it to him. He drank it down, wincing from the burn on his raw throat, then she brought him the porridge. This time he thanked her, though somewhat gruffly.

As she watched him, she chewed her lip as she thought. Finally, she said, "Vaughn… why _have_ you been avoiding me? Did I… was it because of that night when I was drunk?"

He looked up at her, startled, and the red crept back into his cheeks. "Don't you remember?"

Her eyes opened wide, and she looked a little panicked. "N-not really, the last thing I remember was you showing up. The rest is kind of lost in a fog. Did… did I say something?"

"Naw, I mean you said plenty, but it wasn't that," he said, scraping the bowl to get the last bite.

"Then… then what _did_—"

He abruptly lay back down and turned his back to her. "I'm tired. I'm goin' to sleep. 'Night, Rio. And… uh, thanks." Then he seemed to fall right asleep.

Rio just stared at his back for several minutes. Then she slowly stood up and quietly made herself a sandwich, which she ate while poring over one of the books about farming she'd been given as a gift when she arrived in the Islands. Then, glancing at Vaughn's back nervously, she quickly slipped out of her clothes and into flannel pajamas before crawling under the blankets on the cot and falling into a deep sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: A New Beginning, and the locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot is my own invention.

**Disclaimer:** Harvest Moon DS: Sunshine Islands, and the locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and Marvelous Interactive Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	10. Warmth

Rio paused in her narrative and opened another bottle of beer. She took a few swallows, staring meditatively into the fire. Iroha watched her, a thoughtful look in her eyes. After a moment, she said, "So you took him in, gave him your bed, and fed him, in the hopes of nursing him back to health? Did he cooperate after that?"

"More or less, though he always was a stubborn man. Weren't you, Vaughn?" she said, a half smile curving into the corners of her mouth.

"Reckon so. No more'n _you_, though," he said with a grin as he leaned farther back and closed his eyes. "As I recall…."

* * *

><p>When he woke up in the morning and sat up to look around, Rio was gone. She'd built the fire up again, and he could see a pot simmering on the stove and smelled the comforting fragrance of simmering rice. He tried to stand, but he immediately felt dizzy and quickly sat back down. He started coughing again, wincing at the pain stabbing into his chest and grating on his throat. Just then, the front door opened and Rio stepped in.<p>

"You're awake," she observed as she went straight to the kitchen. Her cabin was a small, one-room affair, so he could see her as she stood on tip-toe to pull a bottle off a shelf. She poured some of the amber liquid into a small glass, added a spoonful of honey, then pulled a container from the fridge. She took out a wedge of lemon and squeezed the juice into the glass, mixing it all together before bringing it to him. "Here, drink this," she said, handing the glass to him. He tossed it back, choking from the shock of pain on his throat. It only lasted a moment, though, and soon he began to feel more comfortable as the whiskey numbed the pain.

"Thanks," he rasped as he handed her the glass.

She took the glass and returned to the kitchen, where she washed and dried it, setting it aside in case of another coughing fit. After that, she took the rice from the stove and stirred in milk, spices, and sugar to make a creamy porridge. She ladled up a bowlful and poured a glass of juice, then brought them to him and took a seat in the chair by the bed, watching as she waited for him to eat.

He took a bite of porridge, then looked over at her watching him in silence. He took a second bite, then set the bowl down on the bedside table and scowled at her. "_What_?" he growled. She looked surprised, but didn't reply. "Don't stare at me. You're makin' me lose my appetite," he grumbled, picking his bowl back up.

Shock and disbelief flickered across her face, and she abruptly stood up. Snatching her coat from the peg by the door, she glanced back at him, tears in her angry eyes. "Sorry I make you _physically ill_. I'll go away so you can eat in the pleasure of your own company." Then she flung herself out the door, leaving him sitting in bed, startled, with the spoon frozen halfway to his mouth.

Setting the bowl back on the table, he hastily pulled his boots on and chased after her, shouting, "Rio! _Wait_!" He could see her up ahead of him, crossing the bridge to Verdure Island, her heavy boots pounding a staccato beat as she half-walked, half-ran across the planks. Either she didn't hear him or else she was ignoring him, because her pace didn't slow as he reached the bridge. Shivering with the cold, he started to step onto the bridge when another fit of coughing doubled him over.

She heard that, at least, and turned around. Running back across the bridge, she grabbed him and hauled him back to his feet, pulling him back into her house. "You _promised_!" she berated him, slamming the door closed and rounding on him, her eyes flashing.

He dropped down on the edge of the bed, feeling dizzy and breathless. "I was trying to catch you," he muttered as soon as he'd recovered some of his breath.

"I don't know _why_, if you find me so goddessdamned _repulsive_ that you can't even eat with me around," she snapped, stomping into her kitchen to mix up another shot of whiskey with lemon and honey. "And that doesn't change the fact that you _promised_ you'd stay put 'til you were better!"

Scowling, he stood and strode over to her. "It's not like that at all, Rio. I… I just get uncomfortable when you stare at me."

"Right," she snapped, squeezing the lemon into the glass and giving it a final stir. "That sure explains why you've been avoiding me and acting like you can't stand to be near me." She turned and handed him the glass. He stared for her a moment before taking the glass. Her cornflower eyes were glistening with tears, and though her face was furious, he saw hurt there, too, and saw the her lip trembled despite its frown. He set the glass down, untouched, and looked at her for a moment.

"Rio, I… I'm sorry. I've been avoiding you because… well, you already said you don't remember that night we were drinking on Meadow Island, right?"

She nodded, biting her lip a little and looking down at the floor. He reached over and tilted her chin up, looking into her face. "Then… you don't remember kissing me?"

Her eyes widened and her cheeks turned scarlet. "I _what_? No! I… I didn't really… d-did I?" She looked away again, whispering, "So that's why… I-I'm sorry, Vaughn. I guess that explains why you've been avoiding me. If you didn't think much of me before, you must _really_ despise me now. No wonder you don't even want me near you."

She started to walk slowly towards the door, her cheeks still bright red, but he caught her hand and refused to let her go. "_No_, Rio, that's not it, either."

Looking at him in confusion, she said, "But then, why—"

"Because ever since that night, I've been wanting to do _this_," he said, and he pulled her close to him and kissed her, pressing his lips to hers as a sudden warmth unfolded inside his chest and spread all through him, thawing him from the inside out.

* * *

><p>"Ohhh!" Felicity sighed, leaning against Rod's knee, "that's so romantic!"<p>

"Darling, how could you ever think _anyone_ would be repulsed by _you_? You're absolutely _perfect_!" Allen chided her, though he was smiling in amusement as he shook his head at her.

Rod leaned down and tossed a couple of logs onto the fire, and Amir looked at Rio and Vaughn curiously. "Were you not concerned that you might infect Miss Rio, kissing her while you were ill?"

Vaughn grinned and looked over at the exotic young man. "Naw, I gotta admit, it wasn't exactly the _first_ thing on my mind at the time."

Rod guffawed and Allen snickered. Tina clapped her hands, saying, "Then… did you two… you know, did you…."

Allen rolled his eyes and reached over to pat her on the head. Looking at Vaughn, he said, "She wants to know if you had sex."

Rio choked on her beer, and Iroha thumped her back as she sputtered and coughed. Vaughn stared at him, then chuckled. "Well, the little lady gets right to the point, doesn't she? No, we did _not_—not then, anyway. But that was how it all started with us."

Iroha looked at him speculatively. "That may have been the beginning, but then, what was the end? Since clearly you two are no longer together."

Rio looked up at her friend sharply, suspecting where she was going—given certain private conversations the two had shared over the years. She said, "My Mama once told me that the kindest word ever spoken was the _un_kind word left _un_spoken. And that's all I'm going to say about _that_."

Vaughn tugged his hat back down over his brow and stared into the fire. "That's generous of you, Rio—you always had a good heart. But I've gotta be fair."

He leaned forward and grabbed another beer, twisting it open and taking a long pull. After a moment of thought, he said, "The things I did… all the _shit_ I put you through… those were the biggest mistakes of my life. Everything I did that drove you away…. Well, I wish I could take it all back, make it like it never happened. But as the saying goes, 'If wishes were horses…'."

"'Beggars would ride'," Rio finished, softly. She shook her head slightly and frowned at her half-empty bottle before taking another swallow. "Well, Vaughn—"

"I know," he interrupted. "I blew it. I had the golden opportunity of a lifetime with you, and I threw it all away." He took another long pull at his beer, then slowly swirled it around as he stared ahead of him.

"Well, what _happened_?" Felicity asked, her eyes shining with eager anticipation.

Vaughn chugged the rest of his bottle and stood up abruptly, dropping it back into the case with the other empty bottles. Then he strode towards the river, nothing more than a shadow at the edges the flickering firelight. They could see him stoop to pick something up and then throw it with all his might. They heard a plopping sound—a stone dropping into the river. He threw several more stones into the rushing waters, then he stood there, head bowed and shoulders hunched, for several minutes before slowly returning to the fire.

He pulled out another bottle and opened it, and downed a third of it all at once before sitting back down on the log. He pulled his hat a little lower and sat with his forearms resting on his thighs, staring down at the ground between his boots. Finally he looked up, first at Felicity, then turning his gaze to each of them in turn before it finally settled on Rio, who sat staring into the fire.

With a sigh, he said, "I got scared, that's what happened. I got scared, and I did things I shouldn't have done."

"What kinds of things?" Tina asked, breathlessly.

"I… well, I took her for granted, for one. I was reluctant to commit to her, afraid…." He took a deep breath. "Afraid she'd wake up one morning and realize she was saddled with an old man, and her still young and so full of life herself. That she'd move on to someone else—someone… someone younger. I was well aware that there were plenty of other men in the islands nearer her age who had their eyes on her. So I pushed her away. I… I cheated on her, that's what I did. Fooled around with other girls while I was at work on the mainland. Just because I was afraid to take that last step. I'm sorry, Rio. You deserved better than what I gave you, than what I could offer you—I always _knew_ you did."

She looked up at him, her eyes sparking with suppressed anger. "That's _not_ what you told me after you found me," she said, taking another swig of beer as she watched him, her eyes narrowed.

"I know. Even then… _even then_, I couldn't admit to it—couldn't admit what a scared little fool I'd been. I guess reminiscing about the past—_our_ past—made me realize that I had to come clean, that I owed you _that_ much at least."

Iroha looked at him, tapping a finger thoughtfully against her cheekbone. "So… now you're here, and Rio has moved on and found someone else. What happens next?"

Vaughn finished his beer in one long swig. He looked at Iroha first, then over at Rio. Then he said, "Well, now, that's the _real_ question, isn't it?"

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: A New Beginning, and the locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot is my own invention.  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon DS: Sunshine Islands, and the locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and Marvelous Interactive Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


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